Characterization of complex phthalic acid/propylene glycol based polyesters by the combination of 2D chromatography and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

The combination of gradient HPLC, 2D chromatography, and MALDI-TOF MS facilitated the analysis of the various distributions of phthalic acid/propylene glycol-based model polyesters. Investigations of kinetic samples taken at various reaction times highlighted the subsequent differences at various stages of the polyesterification reaction in terms of molecular weight, chemical composition, and endgroups. Normal-phase gradient-HPLC analysis successfully enabled an oligomeric separation of the respective samples.