Although solvency and evaporation rate are the most important properties, there are other properties that are important in specific circumstances. Some of them are briefly discussed here.
The presence of any appreciable amount of moisture in solvents used in a two-component polyurethane system can react with isocyanate crosslinkers and thus impair crosslinking efficiency. Therefore, moisture content is one of the important properties of solvents such as ketones and esters, which are used in two-component polyurethane coatings. Moisture content is normally determined by the Karl-Fischer titration method.
Aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents frequently contain a certain amount of aromatic hydrocarbons. Since aromatic content can have a significant effect on the solid-viscosity relationship, and may impart undesirable odor, it is customary to determine and specify the aromatic content of aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents, generally expressed as percent by mass.