HEASUREHENT OF INSTANTANEOUS RATES OF LOSS OF VOIATILE COMPOUNDS DURING DRYING OF DROPS

A novel technique serves to monitor instantaneous rates of loss of a volatile solute from a suspended drop during drying. A highly sensitive electron capture detector is used to monitor concentrations of SF6 released into a flowing gas stream from a suspended, drying drop. Simultaneously, the appearance and morphological development of the drop are monitored with a video camera. This provides the wherewithal of relating instantaneous rates of loss of the volatile solute to particular events during the development of particle morphology.

Initial experiments have been carried out with drops of aqueous solutions of glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin and coffee extract. The results clearly display the onset of the volatiles-retentive selective diffusion phenomenon. There is also substantial loss of the volatile component later in the drying process, when the drops undergo repeated ex ansion, bursting and cratering due to the formation of internaf bubbles. These experiments appear to be the first quantitative demonstration of major losses accompanying changes in drop morphology.