Caracterización química y térmica del material de construcción de nidos de siete especies de Avispas de Norte de Santander – Colombia.

Abstract

In this project the chemical and thermal characterization of nests of seven wasp species from Norte de Santander - Colombia, Agelaia pallipes, Agelaia multipicta, Agelaia areata, Polybia aequatorialis, Parachartergus apicalis, Mischucytharus imitator, and Brachygastra lecheguana, was performed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF); to determine the thermal behavior through the variation of the mass as a function of the temperature, to establish the thermal properties, endo-exo transitions and enthalpies of decomposition of the material, obtaining of the infrared spectra and determination of the main components, crystallinity of the material and establishment of possible energy relationships through the composition and structure of the material respectively. The significant differences were determined by analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a significance level of 0.05 and the similarities were corroborated through principal component analysis and Cluster analysis. Significant differences were found in all sample analyses, although the most obvious differences in composition are presented in the nest sample of A. areata with respect to the other species. Therefore, once the different analyses have been carried out, it should be noted that a similar behavior is not established between the samples that belong to the same species or genus, because these differences depending on the analysis performed.