Packaging and storage
Preserve in tight containers, and protect from freezing.
Labeling
The labeling states the ethoxy content of the Ethylcellulose and the percentage of Ethylcellulose.
Identification
A:
Transfer a small quantity to a silver chloride plate, and allow the water to evaporate: the IR absorption spectrum of the residue in the 3600 to 2600 cm
1 and 1500 to 800 cm
1 regions exhibits maxima only at the same wave numbers as that of a film of
USP Ethylcellulose RS prepared as directed in the test for
Identification under Ethylcellulose.
B:
Transfer about 2 mL to a 100-mm diameter petri dish so that the bottom of the dish is covered uniformly. Place the dish in an oven or on a hot plate to evaporate the water: a transparent film results.
C:
Dissolve the film formed in
Identification test
B in 20 mL of chloroform. Inject 2 µL of this solution into a gas chromatograph (see
Chromatography 621) equipped with a 2-mm × 1.8-m column that contains 10% liquid phase G1 on support S1A maintained at a temperature of 220
and a flame-ionization detector. The temperatures of the injection port and the detector are maintained at about 250
and 275
, respectively. The retention time of the major peak following the solvent peak in the resulting chromatogram corresponds to that obtained from a similar solution of
USP Cetyl Alcohol RS.
D:
Methylene blue solutionTo a 150-mL graduated beaker containing 0.7 mL of sulfuric acid and 5 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate slowly add water to the 90-mL mark. Add methylene blue solution (3 in 1000) to the 100-mL mark, and mix.
Procedure
To 1 mL of Aqueous Dispersion in a 100-mL graduated mixing cylinder add 9 mL of water followed by 25 mL of Methylene blue solution, and mix. Add 15 mL of chloroform, and shake vigorously. Allow the two phases to separate: the lower phase is blue, indicating the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate.
Viscosity 911
Use a rotational viscosimeter equipped with a low-viscosity adapter. Mix the Aqueous Dispersion, and pipet 20 mL of it into the low-viscosity small sample adapter. Start the viscosimeter, and take readings after 60, 90, and 120 seconds at a temperature of 25 ± 2
and at a spindle speed that results in readings between 10% and 90% of full-scale. Multiply the average of the three readings by the factor specified for the spindle speed selected to obtain the viscosity in centipoises. The viscosity is not more than 150 centipoises.
Loss on drying
Place about 10 g of standard 20- to 30-mesh sand, previously dried for at least 30 minutes at 60
, into a tared petri dish. Add 5 mL of Aqueous Dispersion, and again weigh. Dry at about 60
to constant weight: it loses not more than 71.0% of its weight.
Assay
Determine the ethoxy content, as directed under
Methoxy Determination 431, using an accurately weighed portion of Ethylcellulose Aqueous Dispersion equivalent to about 25 mg of ethylcellulose. Calculate the ethylcellulose content from the ethoxy content found and the ethoxy content of the Ethylcellulose as declared in the labeling. Each mL of 0.1 N sodium thiosulfate is equivalent to 0.7510 mg of (OC
2H
5).