Mysteries Solved

EMSL has been involved in many interesting material identification projects.  Listed below are a few examples.

Computer Failures (Room Specific)
A data center was experiencing repeated computer failures in a certain room in the building. Specialists were able to pinpoint the failure type as internal electrical short circuit. They sampled various surfaces in the room by wiping method and sent the wipes for analysis to EMSL Analytical. Light microscopy revealed the presence of fibrous material of a certain shape and size. Laboratory analysis revealed that the fibrous particles have zinc in elemental composition. Therefore, the particles were identified as zinc whiskers. Zinc whiskers form on bare metal surfaces of access flooring systems (usually plated with zinc for corrosion resistance). They are electrically conductive and if a zinc whisker lands on an exposed circuit card inside the equipment causes a short circuit.  Symptoms of zinc whisker related failure are data corruption and power supply failures.

Contamination Testing - Manufactured Ice Cream Scoops
A manufacturer of ice cream scoops found white powder within sealed bags containing their product. The ice cream scoops were found to be made of un-coated aluminum. Once placed within the individually sealed packages moisture resulted in oxidation of the metal and formation of aluminum oxide, which is a white powder. Subsequent analysis on several variations of their product, including anodized and polymeric coatings resulted in similar oxide formation. Even repeated cycles of cleaning using a standard home dishwasher resulted in oxide formation. The analysis, which included microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry and X-Ray Diffraction Spectrometry resulted in the conclusion to buy stainless steel and leave aluminum out of the kitchen.

Contamination in Powder Coating
One of our clients was experiencing contamination during in their polymer powder coating.  Through laboratory analysis, EMSL was able to determine that the contamination was nylon powder coating contaminating a polyester based powder coating. The nylon impurity melted at higher temperature than the polyester causing imperfections in the final coating.

Contaminant Identification in Soap
A soap bar manufacturer was encountering manufacturing problems; small red and yellow spots, which were not part of the design, kept appearing on the soap. They wanted to identify the contaminant, so they could isolate the culprit on the production line. Using TLC analysis, the spots were identified by EMSL as D&C red and yellow pigments, which are common colorants used in cosmetics. With these results, the manufacturer was able to identify and isolate the source of the contamination in the production facility.

Discoloration on Walls
Our client discovered a yellow discoloration on warehouse walls.  Through laboratory analysis, EMSL was able to determine that the yellow material was efflorescence from the new concrete walls.

Grey Dust on Windows In Old Building
One of our clients wanted to identify an unusual build up of grey dust on a series of window from an old building.  Utilizing microscopy and other instrumentation, EMSL was able to determine that the material was the mineral fillers from the window sealant/caulk.

Unknown White Substance in Heat Exchanger
A client of ours found an unknown white substance found in a heat exchanger.  EMSL was able to determine that the white material was a water oil emulsion and not a mixture of minerals.

Identification of Purple Powder
Our client discovered an unknown purple powder at their facility. Through laboratory analysis, EMSL was able to identify the purple powder as a particular type of red food dye.

Identification of White Substance in Pharmaceutical Product
A medical device company discovered an unknown white powder-like material in some of their liquid pharmaceutical products. Through laboratory analysis, EMSL was able to determine the material was an algae contamination.