Analysis of the Antisapstain Chemical Didecyldimethylammonium Chloride (DDAC) on Wood Surfaces by Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Reflectance FT-IR has been shown to be a promising technique for rapid (≤2 seconds) quantitative determinations of the antisapstain chemical didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) on wood surfaces treated at 0 to 88 μg/cm². Partial least-squares analysis allowed selection of a region of the infrared spectra which could be used for quantitative analyses of DDAC on the wood. The results obtained through this method were comparable to results obtained on the same samples by HPLC and pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. This outcome demonstrates the opportunity for applying this FT-IR technique in an industrial setting.