News Release

Calverton, VA, May 30, 2003—CHEMetrics, Inc. announces that the Cyanide VVR Module (V-3803), for the measurement of cyanide in water, and accompanying VVR photometric instrument (V-1000), have been verified by the USEPA ETV Program as one of the first technologies with a Homeland Securities application.  CHEMetrics’ portable analyzer kit with vacuum-sealed, self-filling ampoules allows accurate results when online instrumentation is unavailable.

    Cyanide is used in many chemical and refining processes.  It may be found in effluent from electroplating and metal cleaning operations, coke ovens, steel manufacturing facilities and gas scrubbers.  Although cyanide can be safely removed by alkaline chlorination, effluents are often monitored for cyanide due to its acute toxicity to aquatic life. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established a maximum contamination level of 0.2 milligrams per liter for cyanide in drinking water.

   The CHEMetrics Cyanide Vacu-vials Kit is the perfect choice for measuring cyanide where online instrumentation is unavailable because it is fast, accurate and cost-effective.  It measures concentrations as high as 0.4 parts per million (mg/l) cyanide.  Unit doses of reagent are sealed under vacuum in CHEMetrics’ proprietary self-filling ampoules.  This form of packaging eliminates the need to measure and mix chemicals, simplifies testing and greatly enhances reagent shelf life.

    The kit employs the Isonicotinic/Barbituric Acid Method.  To perform a test, two accessory solutions are added to the sample to convert cyanide to cyanogen chloride.  The analyst then snaps off the tip of the Vacu-vials reagent ampoule below the surface of the sample.  Sample is automatically aspirated into the ampoule where the resulting cyanogen chloride reacts with the isonicotinic and barbituric acids to form a blue color.  Test results are obtained photometrically and are expressed in parts per million (mg/l) cyanide.  Total testing time is about 20 minutes.