The present invention involves a proprietary compound that acts as a colorimetric detection agent for cyanide in water samples. This can be used to develop a portable field test for analyzing water for the presence of cyanide at micromolar concentrations. The compound is not subject to the same common interferents in the calorimetric detection of cyanide.
The proposed kit is unique in that micromolar concentrations of cyanide dissolved in water can be detected immediately in the field and at concentrations lower than currently acceptable levels in drinking water. The technique is insensitive to the presence of large concentrations of fluoride or chloride which are generally the principal interferents in the colorimetric detection of cyanide.