Thermo-optical analysis (TOA) as a tool of melting phenomena investigations

In the work, after preliminary discussion of the complexity of the phenomenon of melting chemical compounds, two basic research methods are presented: calorimetric methods and thermooptical method. The physical basis of the five main calorimetry techniques is now detailed (adiabatic calorimetry, differential thermal analysis – DTA, differential scanning calorimetry with heat compensation – DSC heat compensated, differential scanning calorimetry with heat flow – DSC heat flux and differential scanning calorimetry with temperature modulation – MDSC) and thermo-optical techniques used in phase transitions investigations. The advantages and disadvantages of these methods are shown in numerous examples and the accuracy attainable by the individual measuring techniques is compared