Abstract
A method is described for the collection and determination of sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) in air. Worker breathing-zone or area samples are collected by pumping air through a glass tube containing one gram of activated charcoal. The sulfuryl fluoride is extracted with dilute sodium hydroxide and undergoes partial hydrolysis to fluoride and fluorosulfonate. Complete hydrolysis to fluoride and sulfate is produced by evaporating an aliquot to dryness. The concentration of fluoride and sulfate is determined by ion chromatography and used to calculate the equivalent sulfuryl fluoride in the collected sample. An average recovery of 95.8% with a standard deviation of 11% was obtained for a concentration range of 1.0 to 10 ppm (1/5 TLV to 2 TLV) for four-hour sampling periods. The recovery above 50 ppm is low, but the values can be used to indicate exposure to higher concentrations. The method is also capable of short-term sampling for concentrations up to 4000 ppm. No loss in recovery was observed after storing the samples for 39 days at room temperature.