A new method for the determination of oxygen in organic compounds

Oxygen in compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen can be determined by heating the sample with an excess of strontium oxide and graphite in. a nickel bomb or sealed Vycor glass tube. During the heating period, three hours at 650° C, the oxygen of the sample is converted to carbonate. The carbonate is then determined volumetrically. The accuracy of the method was found to be ± 0.3% (absolute percentage error) for several types of compounds. Most elements other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen interfere. Compounds like phenol, that are exceedingly resistant to complete pyrolysis, yield low resuilts. Carbon in organic compounds can be determined by heating the sample with barium nitrate, and subsequently determining carbonate in the mixture.