Following cellulose depolymerization in paper: comparison of size exclusion chromatography techniques

The study focuses on the comparison of the results obtained by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) detection systems using multiangle laser light scattering (MALLS) and/or ultraviolet-visible (UV/VIS) detectors in analyses of cellulose in paper-based heritage objects. The commonly applied parameter for the evaluation of paper degradation stage and kinetics is weight (M (w) ) average molar mass measured by SEC. The main problems addressed here are whether the parameters obtained by various techniques and calibration strategies and in various laboratories can be treated universally and what the sources of the discrepancies can be. The SEC-UV/VIS technique proved to give reproducible results as demonstrated by the interlaboratory correlations. Using various data processing methods and SEC techniques it was also shown that molar masses should only be treated relatively. The differences between the kinetic curves based on the M (w) values obtained from various techniques and processed with various calibration procedures question the reliability of kinetic equations derived using the SEC results to describe the paper degradation.