4.1 Tin-based solder alloys are commonly used to manufacture electrical and electronic goods. The elements lead, cadmium, mercury, antimony and bismuth are often declarable substances in solder materials. This test method provides a means of determining the listed declarable substances, as well as other minor and trace constituents, in tin-based solder alloys.

4.2 Two methods of dissolving tin-based solder alloys are given in this standard. The first method uses open-vessel hydrofluoric and nitric acid room temperature digestions; the second method employs closed-vessel nitric and hydrofluoric acid microwave digestions, both for use only with ICP-AES instruments equipped with a hydrofluoric acid resistant sample introduction system.

4.3 The method of preparing calibration solutions uses 1000 mg/kg single element reference material solutions, and uses matching concentrated acids for both the calibration solutions and the sample solutions.

4.4 This test method is intended for use by laboratories experienced with the set-up, calibration and analysis of samples using ICP-AES.