DEAS 345 : 2021  
ICS 87.080  
© EAC 20 21                                                                                                               Second  Edition  2021   
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Toluene  — Specification  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 345: 2021  
ii © EAC 20 21 – All rights reserved  
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iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged th at through harmonized 
standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged within the Community 
will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and issue 
East African Standards (EAS) and other deliverables. The Committee is composed of representatives of the 
National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations in the community.  
East African Standards are developed through Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholde rs through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner 
States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, i n accordance 
with the p rinciples and procedures for development of East African Standards.  
East African  Standards and other deliverables are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. 
Users of the East African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions 
of the standards they are implementing.  
The c ommittee responsible for this document is  Technical Committee EASC/TC 069 , Organic and Inorganic 
chemicals.  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent rights. 
EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
This second  editio n cancels and rep laces the  first edition (EAS 345:2004 ), which has been technically revised.  
 
 
 DEAS 345 :2021    
 
© EAC 20 21 – All rights reserved  
  
 Toluene — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft  East African Standard prescribes the requirements , sampling  and test methods for toluene .  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document 
(including any amendments) applies.  
ASTM D7504, Standard Test Method for Trace Impurities in Monocyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Gas 
Chromatography and Effective Carbon Number  
 
ASTM D86, Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels at Atmospheric 
Pressure  
 
ASTM D4052, Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital 
Density Meter  
 
ASTM D1218, Standard Test Method for Refrac tive Index and Refractive Dispersion of Hydrocarbon 
Liquids  
 
ASTM D2622, Standard Test Method for Sulfur  in Petroleum Products by Wavelength Dispersive X -ray 
Fluorescence Spectrometry  
 
ASTM D445, Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and 
Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)  
 
ASTM D974, Standard Test Method for Acid and Ba se Number by Color -Indicator Titration  
 
ASTM D5986, Standard Test Method for Determination of Oxygenates, Benzene, Toluene, C8 –C12 
Aromatics and Total Aromatics in Finished Gasoline by Gas Chromatography/Fourier Transform Infrared 
Spectroscopy  
 
ISO 760, Dete rmination of water — Karl Fischer method (General method)  
 
ISO 13736, Determination of flash point — Abel closed -cup method  
3 Terms and definitions  
No terms and definitions are listed in this document. ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in 
standardization at the following addresses: — ISO Online browsing platform: available at 
http://www.iso.org/obp   
2 
 4 Requirements  
4.1 General  requirements  
The Toluene  shall be clear liquid, free of sediment or haze at 20 .0 °C to 25.6 °C . 
 
4.2 Specific requirements  
The Toluene  shall comply with specific  requirements given in Table 1 when tested according to the methods 
prescribed   
 
Table - 1: Specific requirements for toluene  
 
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirements  Test method  
i)  Toluene, percent by mass, 
min 99.8   
 ASTM D7504  
ii)  Distillation range at 760 
mmHg/°C  Not more than 5 °C from the dry point 
including the temperature of 110.6 °C  ASTM D86  
iii)  Specific gravity at 20/20 °C  0.860 - 0.870  ASTM D4052  
iv)  Refractive index at 25 °C  1.490 - 1.500  ASTM D1218  
v)  Sulfur content , mg/kg, max . 1 ASTM D2622  
vi)  Flash point  °C, min 4 ISO 13736  
vii)  Viscosity at 25°C, mPa.s  0.480 – 0.515  ASTM D445  
viii)  Acidity  No free acid   ASTM D974  
ix)  Non-aromatics, max  1.5  ASTM D5986  
x)  Evaporation rate  2.0 – 2.5  
xi)  Water  Not sufficient to cause turbidity at 20°C    ISO 760  
xii)  Solvent power,  Kauri -butanol 
value, min.  100 Annex B  
 
5 Pack aging  
The Toluene  shall be packed in securely clos ed suitable containers that  protects  its quality . 
 
6 Labelling  
6.1 Each package  shall be legibly and indelibly labelled in English and/or any other official language (French, 
Kiswahili, etc) used in the importing East African Partner State with the following information:  
a) the name  of the product as “Toluene”  
b) purity ; 
c) manufacturer’s name and physical address ;  
d) net content  in litres  
e) country of origin ; 
f) batch number or lot number;  
g) date of manufacture and expiry  date . 
h) cautions for safety  such as signal words, hazard pictogram, precaution statement, and hazard 
statement   
3 
 6.2 Toluene  shall be supplied with the safety data sheet which is written in language as depicted in 6.1  
7 Sampling  
Representative samples each having a volume of not less than 500 ml shall wherever possible be taken in 
triplicate from one or more original and unopened containers of dark glass or metal. The c ontainers shall be of 
such size that they are nearly filled by the sample. Each sample container shall be sealed with a material 
unaffected by its contents.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
4 
 Annex B  
(Normative)  
Determination of solvent power (Kauri -butanol value)  
 
B.1 Definition  
 
Kauri -butanol value of a solvent  
The volume in millilitres at 25 °C of the solvent, corrected to a defined standard, required to produce a  defined 
degree of turbidity when added to 20 g of a standard solution of kauri resin in normal butyl  alcohol. The kauri 
resin solution is standardized against toluene, which has an assigned value of 105,  and a mixture of 57 % n-
heptane and 25 % toluene on a volume basis, which has an assigned value  of 40.  
 
B.2 Significance and use  
The kauri -butanol value is used as a measure of solvent power of hydrocarbon solvents. High kauributanol  
values indicate relatively strong solvency . 
 
B.3 Apparatus  
B.3.1 Water bath , a clear glass vessel, maintained at 25 °C ± 1 °C. Alternatively, a room  maintained at 25 ° C 
± 1°C may be used.  
B.3.2 Volumetric flask , 200 ml capacity  
B.3.3 Erlenmeyer flask , 250 ml capacity.  
B.3.4 Burette , 50 ml capacity.  
B.3.5 Print specimen , a sheet of white paper having on it black 10 on 12 -point print No.31 Bruce  
Old Style type.  
 
B.4 Reagents  
B.4.1 Purity of reagents – Reagent grade chemicals shall be used in all tests.  
B.4.2 Kauri -butanol solution ⎯ Place in a 3 -litre flask 400 g of clean, pale bold kauri resin of  grade XXXX, 
XXX, or XX ground to pea -size or smaller. Add, while agitating vigorously, 2000 g of n -butyl  alcohol, (boiling 
range from 116 °C to 118 °C). Shake on a mechanical shaker until th e resin  goes into solution, warming to 
about 55 °C, if necessary, to aid solution. If a mechanical shaker is not  availab le, fit the flask with a reflux 
condenser and heat on a steam bath until kauri resin is all  dissolved. Permit the solution to stand for 48 h and 
then clarify by filtering through a Buchner funnel  with suction, using doub le filter paper and changing as 
frequently as necessary.  
 
B.4.3 Standard toluene  
 
B.4.4 Heptane -toluene blend ⎯ Consisting of 25 %± 0.1 % toluene and 75 % ± 0.1 % n -heptane  on volume 
basis for use as a low solvency standard.  
 
NOTE The blend of 25 % ± 0.1 % toluene and 75 % ± 0.1 % heptane can be prepared in any way that will give the desired  
accuracy. The following technique is adequate.  
 
Bring the pure toluene and pure heptane and a calibrated 200 ml volumetric flask to the same  temperature, 
preferably in constant temperature room to thermostat. Run 50 ml of toluene into the  200 ml volumetric flask, 
using a burette of pipette calibrated to deliver  50 ml of toluene at the  chosen  temperature (preferably 25 °C). 
Fill the volumetric flask to slightly below the calibration line with n -heptane,  insert the ground glass stopper of 
the volumetric flask, and mix carefully by repeatedly  inverting the flask. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then 
bring to the 200 ml calibration mark with  
heptane and again carefully mix.  
 
B.4.5 Standardization  
B.4.5.1 Weigh out 20 g ± 0.10 g of kauri -butanol solution in a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask and place in  the water 
bath at 250 °C. Titrate with the s tandard toluene into the flask, with constant swirling, while  maintaining the 
mixture in the flask at 25 °C ± 1°C. Gradually reduce the successive amounts of  toluene added as the end point 
is approached. The end point is reached when the sharp outlines of  10-point print placed directly beneath the 
water bath and observed through the liquid are obscured to  blurred, but not the point where the print becomes 
illegible. Check the temperature in the flask  immediately after the end point has been reached, and if over 26 
°C, repeat the titration.  
  
5 
 B.4.5.2 The volume of toluene used, in milliliters, represents the actual titer for the particular kauributanol  
solution at hand. This value should lie reasonably close to 105 ml, but not over 110 ml nor  under 100 ml. If these 
limits are exceeded, adjust the concentration of the kauri -butanol solution to  bring the total volume of toluene 
within them. Designate the final value using toluene as A.  
 
B.4.5.3 Weigh out 20 g ± 0.10 g of the kauri -butanol solution (adjusted as described B4.5.2) in a 250  ml 
Erlenmeyer flask and place in the water bath. Titrate with the heptane toluene blend in the same  manner as 
described in B4.5.1. Designate the volume, in milliliters, of the blend used in this titration  as B. 
 
NOTE  If the composition of the blend is known to differ from 25 % ± 1.0 % toluene, but is within the range from 22 % to 28  
% toluene, the constant in the blend factor equation will differ from 40.0 by 0.60 units for each 1 % toluene. For example, 
at 28  % tolue ne, the c onstant is 41.8 instead of 40.0.  
 
B.4.6 Procedure  
Weigh 20 g ± 0.10 g of the adjustable kauri -butanol solution into a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask. Place the flask in 
the water bath at 25 °C ± 1 °C fill the 50 ml flask with the solvent being tested and titrate the solvent into the 
Erlenmeyer flask with the con stant swirling while maintaining the mixture in the flask at 25°C. Gradually reduce 
the successive amounts of solvent added as the end point is approached. The end point is reached when the 
sharp outlines of 10 point print (See B3.5) placed directly beneat h the water bath and observed through the 
liquid are obscured to blurred, but not to the point where the print becomes illegible. Check the temperature in 
the flask immediately after the end point has been reached and if over 26 °C of under 24 °C, repeat t he titration. 
Designate the volume of solvent, in milliliters, to produce turbidity as C  
 
B.4.7 Calculation and report  
 
B.4.7.1 Calculate the kauri -butanol value, V, as follows:  
 
V = 65(C -B0 /(A –B) + 40  
 
where,  
A = toluene required to titrate 20 g of kauri -butanol solution (B4.5.2) ml;  
B = heptane toluene blend required to titrate 20 g of kauri -butanol solution (B4.5.3)  
C = Solvent under test required to titrate 20 g of kauri -butanol solution (B4.6) ml.  
 
B.4.7.2 If the burette is maintained at a temperature other than 25 °C ± 1 °C, correct the volume of  solvent 
used to standard temperature as follows:  
 
Correction, ml = C (25 –T) x 0.0009  
 
where,  
C = Solvent used in the titration, ml; and  
T = temperature of the solvent in the burette, °C.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
6 
 Bibliography  
 
EAS 345:2004, Toluene –Specification  
IS 537 : 2011 , Toluene –Specification