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From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Enzyme action
Message-ID: <2084@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 8-Oct-87 01:03:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitty.2084
Posted: Thu Oct  8 01:03:11 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Oct-87 14:55:38 EDT
References: <240@ddsw1.UUCP>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 23
Keywords: Question - need info
Summary: Solvents for rosin...
Xref: mnetor sci.bio:704 sci.physics:2438

In article <240@ddsw1.UUCP>, dino@ddsw1.UUCP (Laura Watson) writes:
> What I am wondering is this:  Is there in existence an actual enzyme, 
> such as the digestive enzymes of some insect or another, which is
> known to dissolve pine rosin?  Pine rosin is always a sticky mess, and 
> hard to clean off of anything.  Especially when one puts it into
> "rosin" soldering flux......  

	Without considering any chemistry based upon an enzyme, there are
a number of solvents which will dissolve rosin: ethyl alcohol, isopropyl
alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), perchlorethylene, various freon
degreasing solvents, turpentine, and dilute sodium or potassium hydroxide
solutions.
	The choice of solvent should be dictated by the susceptability of
the item being cleaned to solvent damage.  Isopropyl alcohol is probably
the safest of any solvent, but is by no means the most effective.  Acetone
and MEK work like gangbusters, but will damage many types of paint and
plastics.  The use of dilute alkalies is particularly useful for removing
sap from concrete driveways (save the runoff and make Pine-Sol :-) ).

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
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