What information do DSC and ARC provide for hazard assessment?

• A. DSC provides color and odor; ARC provides boiling point
• B. DSC provides density; ARC provides vapor pressure
• C. DSC provides shelf life; ARC provides flash point
• D. DSC provides onset temperature and heat of reaction; ARC provides adiabatic temperature rise and onset temperature for runaway risk

Answer: (D)

DSC and ARC are used to quantify how a material behaves thermally in hazard assessment. Differential scanning calorimetry measures heat flow as a sample is heated or cooled, revealing when an exothermic event such as decomposition or reaction begins (onset temperature) and how much heat is released (heat of reaction). Adiabatic calorimetry (ARC) simulates a worst‑case, heat‑retaining scenario and provides the adiabatic temperature rise the material could experience and the onset temperature for runaway risk. Together, these data help assess thermal stability and set safe operating limits and mitigation plans.

Other properties like color or odor, or basic physical properties such as density, boiling point, shelf life, or flash point, are not what these calorimetry techniques measure, so they don’t describe hazard behavior in the same way.