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The widespread use of thermal analysis (TA) by scientists as a laboratory technique carries with it a working vocabulary. This document is intended to provide those working in the field with a consistent set of definitions to permit clear and precise communication as well as understanding. Included in the document are the definitions of 13 techniques, 54 terms within the glossary, as well as symbols and units.

Octyl-modifi ed phenylsilsesquioxanes were prepared from phenyltriethoxysilane and octyltriethoxysilane by two-step acid-base catalysed sol-gel process. Resulting silsesquioxanes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, gel permeation chromatography and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, while the thermal properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. Morphology of polysilsesquioxanes was found to greatly depend on ratio of alkoxides, presumably because of poor miscibility of long alkyl chains which results in a less homogeneous initial mixture. Long alkyl chains also present steric hindrance to condensation of phenyltriethoxysilane eventually preventing the formation of particles. Incomplete condensation caused the decrease of softening temperature from 160°C to ~50°C and overall poorer thermal stability of polysilsesquioxanes. Decrease in initial temperature of degradation by at least 150°C is probably caused by alkyl chains exposed on the surface of the particles. Increased solvent content improves incorporation of octyl chains due to better solubility and yields polysilsesquioxanes with a more regular structure and a more homogeneous particle size distribution. On the other hand it adversely influences the level of condensation and the softening temperature.

In the valley of the Neretva River the use of pesticides is widespread and occasionally uncontrolled. In view of the resulting ecological and heakth problems ultrasinic extraction followed by thin-layer chromatography was applied in order to quantify the pesticides present in the soil. Quantification was performed by means of the 3CCD colour video camera. The experiments were conducted on two previously characterised soils. Chemical analysis showed that soil 1 contains much more iron and aluminium oxides than soil 2, which is reacher in humic substances. Recovery of atrazine and fenarimol from soil 1 99.9 +/- 2.9% and 94.3+/-1.9%, and from soil 2 91.0+/-2.1% and 89.6+/-4.2%, respectively.