January 2004 Meeting
The three hundred and forty sixth meeting of the Section will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2004, at the University of Scranton in Scranton, PA. Dinner and the talk will be in Brennan Hall Room 509.
Dinner: There will be an open bar from 5:00 until 6:30. Dinner will be a buffet that will include salad, chicken with wine and garlic sauce, top round of beef au jus, vodka rigatoni, baked stuffed potatoes, broccoli, corn, rolls and butter, and desert. A check for $18.70 made payable to University of Scranton Chemistry should be mailed to Chemistry Department, University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510 by January 14 to reserve a seat. The department phone is (570) 941-6286.
The Meeting: will begin after dinner and will also be held in Brennan Hall Room 509. The speaker will be Dr. Robert Guenard, Merck & Co., Inc., Process Analytics - MMD.
Directions: to Brennan Hall at The University of Scranton. From I-81 Exit 185 (Central Scranton Expressway): You will see the campus on your right. At the first traffic signal turn right onto Madison Ave. Proceed two blocks and turn right onto Mulberry St. Proceed one block to the five-story parking and public safety pavilion and park in visitor parking on the second level. Brennan Hall is the large building slightly downhill from the parking deck.
Advancing Synthetic Fiber Designs with Analytical Sciences: Development of a Nylon Alloy for Carpet Fibers
Luster is a key appearance attribute of carpet fibers that may be defined as how glossy a carpet appears. In carpets made from synthetic polymers, it is typically desirable to have low luster fibers that emulate natural fibers such as cotton or wool. Measurement of luster is often performed by a panel of people who visually compare a sample to a set of luster standard fibers. A simple technique based upon laser scattering from a single fiber at an aspecular angle (15 degrees) combined with charge couple device (CCD) detection and image analysis was developed to replace the subjective panel test. A strong correlation has been shown between a defined scattering ratio, obtained from the laser scattering data, and a five level panel luster test. Physical and molecular structural analysis of nylon 6 is difficult because of its dynamic and polymorphic nature. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature of nylon 6 decreases significantly with moisture content which compromises the ability to measure the effect a process variable has on a fiber based upon off-line measurements. We have found the use of on-line Raman spectrometry measurements provides the precise and dynamic information necessary to optimize both process conditions and fiber properties. In this presentation the fundamentals of measuring relative crystallinity and orientation in nylon 6 by Raman spectrometry will be discussed.
Robert Guenard, Ph.D. began his higher education by obtaining an Associates degree from Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1990. He attended the University of Massachusetts ™ã Lowell where he obtained an ACS Certified B.S. in chemistry in 1992. His undergraduate work included using rare metals and neutron activation analysis to study the dispersion of sewage effluent in Boston Harbor. Rob obtained a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Florida in 1996. His Ph.D. work entailed using laser induced fluorescence to detect single molecules in a flowing stream.
Rob took a position at The Dow Chemical Company in Freeport Texas in October of 1996. For the next 6.5 years he worked in process analytical chemistry group and in the molecular structure group. There he applied many types of optical spectroscopy to solving industrial problems both on-line in the plants and off-line in the laboratory. Other activities included identifying and developing new technologies. In June of 2003, Rob joined the Process Analytics Group at Merck & Co., Inc. in West Point, PA. His current role involves transferring process analytics technology from the R&D function into the Manufacturing Division.
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