Irradiation-distillation apparatus and method for measuring cyanide species

A system for measuring total cyanide, dissociable cyanide, and complex cyanide in a sample comprising:

• an ultraviolet photoillumination means for irradiating the sample and dissociating cyanides contained therein;
• means to carry the sample including a coil disposed around said photoillumination means to simultaneously allow irradiation and distillation of the sample by the photoillumination means;
• means for acidifying the sample connected to the means to carry the sample;
• means to inhibit thiocyanate dissociation located between said photoillumination means and said means to carry the sample;
• and
• measuring means for recovering cyanide and generating a recordable signal indicative of the amount of cyanide in the sample, said measuring means connected to the means to carry the sample.

A system for measuring dissociable cyanide in a sample comprising:

• a photoillumination means and a distillation coil disposed around the photoillumination means for distilling dissociable cyanides in the sample by heat generated by the photoillumination means, wherein the distillation coil is opaque to radiation that would cause complex cyanides to dissociate;
• means for acidifying the sample connected to the distillation coil;
• and
• measuring means for recovering cyanide and generating a recordable signal indicative of the amount of cyanide in the sample, said measuring means connected to the distillation coil.

A method for measuring total cyanide in a preserved alkaline sample, comprising the steps of:

• irradiating the sample with filtered ultraviolet light from a photoillumination source to dissociate complex cyanides in the sample while inhibiting thiocyanate dissociation;
• acidifying the irradiated sample;
• heating the sample with heat from the photoillumination source to elevate the temperature of the sample for distillation thereby causing separation of hydrogen cyanide in the sample;
• recovering the separated hydrogen cyanide;
• and measuring the recovered hydrogen cyanide to generate a recordable signal indicative of the quantity of total cyanide species in the sample.

A method for measuring total cyanide in a sample, comprising the steps of:

• acidifying the sample;
• irradiating the sample with filtered ultraviolet light from a photoillumination source to dissociate complex cyanides in the sample while inhibiting thiocyanate dissociation;
• heating the sample with heat from the photoillumination source to elevate the temperature of the sample for distillation thereby causing separation of hydrogen cyanide in the sample;
• recovering the separated hydrogen cyanide;
• and measuring the recovered hydrogen cyanide to generate a recordable signal indicative of the quantity of total cyanide species in the sample.

A method for measuring dissociable cyanide in a sample, comprising the steps of:

• acidifying the sample;
• passing the sample through an opaque distillation coil;
• heating the sample in the coil with heat from an ultraviolet photoillumination source to elevate the temperature of the sample for distillation thereby causing separation of hydrogen cyanide in the sample;
• recovering the separated hydrogen cyanide;
• and measuring the recovered cyanide to generate a recordable signal indicative of the quantity of dissociable cyanide in the sample.