The IPC J-STD-004 committee met at APEX last month. They are planning on releasing an updated specification. One positive change that is being made is that titration is being eliminated as an acceptable method for quantitative halide analysis. That means that ion chromatography is the only acceptable test method for quantitative halide analysis per J-STD-004. You can find this test method on the IPC website at: Ion Chromatography Test Method 2.3.28.1
The J-STD-004 requires that a flux be less than 500 ppm of total halide (Cl+Br+Fl+I) to be classified as L0 (which is often used synonomously with halide-free). The challenge is that only ionic halides are detected with ion chromotography. As I have stressed before, L0 or halide-free per J-STD-004 is not necessarily halogen free.
The committee agreed to include a note in this revision of J-STD-004 that this test method should not be used to test for total halogen content. Although I would have preferred replacing the current test method with the oxygen bomb combustion & IC method for detection of halogens, I feel this is a step in the right direction.
We are getting closer to the goal of everyone undertanding what "halogen-free" really means! Baby steps!