Airborne aldehydes from heating rosin core solder and liquid rosin flux tosoldering temperatures

Gas phase aldehydes produced from heating rosin core solder and liquid rosi n flux to temperatures commonly used in soldering were trapped on sampling tubes containing XAD-2 resin coated with the derivatizing agent 2-hydroxyme thylpiperidine. Analysis of the resulting oxazolidine derivatives was perfo rmed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The observed aldeh yde derivatives included formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, acrol ein, isobutyraldehyde, butyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, valeraldehyde, furf ural, hexanal, cyclohexane carboxaldehyde and other Unidentified compounds likely to be aldehyde isomers. Formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzaldehyde were detected in blank samples. By comparison with an internal standard, a sample produced by drawing air with contaminants derived by heating rosin core solder through a sampling tube contained levels of formaldehyde and ac etaldehyde much greater than seen in sampling tube blanks. Benzaldehyde was not shown to be present at a significantly greater level in samples from h eating rosin core solder than in blanks prepared using the same analysis pr otocol. The use of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NI OSH) method 2539 extraction procedures produced blanks with levels of forma ldehyde significantly:lower than with a modified extraction method (methyle ne chloride, no sonication). The modified extraction method produced signif icantly lower benzaldehyde levels in blanks compared with the NIOSH extract ion method using toluene and sonication of sampling sorbent tubes.