CSC Scientific Blog

A blog about test equipment

Karl Fischer vs. Loss-On Drying - Which Method is the Best?

Posted by Amanda Ranowsky on Oct 17, 2023 8:10:18 PM

Karl Fischer Titration and Loss-on Drying (LOD) are both methods for determining moisture content in a product.

That’s where the similarities end, though. In this article, I will explain the difference between Karl Fischer Titration and Loss-on Drying, and offer some suggestions to help you choose the right method for your application.

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Topics: Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Karl Fischer, Karl Fischer Titration, Loss-On-Drying

How Wide Is The Moisture Measurement World?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Nov 11, 2021 5:16:48 PM

At one end of the spectrum of the moisture world is the classic Speedy Moisture Tester where you use the reaction of water with calcium carbide to cause a mini explosion resulting in a moisture measurement reading. This method is used frequently for soils, concrete, and other like materials.

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Topics: Moisture Sorption Isotherm, Moisture Analysis, Water Activity, Karl Fischer, Loss-On-Drying

Loss-On-Drying Moisture Analysis and Other Moisture Mysteries Part IV: Water Activity

Posted by Art Gatenby on Nov 11, 2021 3:27:32 PM

Loss-On-Drying moisture analysis seemed like a simple process until, in a state of naïve bliss, I promised to look at evaporation, vapor pressure and bound water. While I was otherwise occupied with hese realities, I offered to enter the world of witchcraft and folklore; water activity.

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Topics: Bound Moisture, Moisture Sorption Isotherm, Moisture Analysis, Water Activity, Loss-On-Drying

How I Learned That Black Liquor Was Not Dark Rum

Posted by Art Gatenby on Sep 28, 2021 12:28:35 PM

When our customers tell me about the different places where CENCO and CSC Digital Moisture balances are used it always interests me.

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Topics: Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying, Moisture, moisture content, water content measurement

Moisture Test Results Don't Always Measure Moisture

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 29, 2021 7:00:00 AM

The most popular was to measure include:

  1. Drying the material and measure the weight loss 
  2. Using a calibration and electronic instrument 
  3. Using a titration method such as Karl Fischer

When using these processes, we take for granted that the results will be the product's actual moisture.

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Topics: Evaporation, Moisture Oven Test, Infrared Moisture, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Karl Fischer Titration, Loss-On-Drying, evaporator oven

The Simple Truth About Karl Fischer Moisture

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jul 9, 2020 3:05:35 PM

 

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Topics: Coulometric Karl Fischer, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Karl Fischer Oven, Karl Fischer, Karl Fischer Titration, Loss-On-Drying, Moisture, interfacial tension, moisture content, moisture measurement

Loss-on Drying and Other Moisture Mysteries - Part V: Drying

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 17, 2020 12:18:01 PM

What seems like a million words ago, I began this journey explaining the simplest approach to measuring or determining moisture: Loss-on Drying. Little did I know how involved and esoteric it would become.

This voyage has taken me down mysterious paths through spooky theories, back to age-old chemistry concepts and into the vagaries of thermodynamics related to evaporation, vapor pressure, bound water and water activity. I have come full-circle; back to explaining Loss-on Drying -- a form of drying that I had assumed would be the simplest of all.

I thought the first four topics [evaporation, vapor pressure, bound moisture, water activity] were tough, complex, confounding and less-than-obvious. Drying -- defined as “the mass-transfer process of removing water (or other solute) by evaporation from a solid, semi solid or liquid” -- seemed easy.

As is often the case, reality makes “easy” a non-operative word. Such has turned out to be so with respect to the issue of drying.

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Topics: Free Moisture, Moisture Sorption Isotherm, Moisture Oven Test, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying, Moisture

Loss-On-Drying Moisture Analysis and Other Moisture Mysteries Part III: Free and Bound Water

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 16, 2020 2:35:12 PM

In my previous missive about Loss-On drying, we discussed Vapor Pressure -- because logically it was next. As we continue to explore moisture, we learn how vital vapor pressure is when regarding the quirky issues of free and bound water.

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Topics: Evaporation, Bound Moisture, Free Moisture, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Karl Fischer Titration, Praxis Moisture Balance, Loss-On-Drying, Moisture, karl fischer moisture, water content measurement

Loss On Drying Moisture Analysis and Other Moisture Mysteries II Vapor Pressure

Posted by Art Gatenby on Apr 30, 2020 3:31:57 PM

A while ago on these pages I agonized about loss-on-drying moisture analysis . As you may recall, my explorations of the drying process overwhelmed me with evaporation concepts , vapor pressure notions, water content complexities and water activity witchcraft, all just to dry something.
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Topics: Evaporation, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying

Loss-On-Drying Moisture Analysis and Other Moisture Mysteries Part 1

Posted by Art Gatenby on Apr 21, 2020 3:52:00 PM

One quiet night, I was musing over moisture analysis and how easy it is to do using loss-on drying. Little did I know what was in store.

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Topics: Evaporation, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying, Moisture, moisture balance, moisture content

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