Determination of Cyanuric Acid or Trichloroisocyanuric Acid in Air

Abstract
An analytical procedure for measurement of cyanuric acid or trichlor oisocyanuric acid in air has been developed. The procedure involves air sampling with a 37-mm PVC membrane filter, recovery with a phosphate buffer, and analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with a UV detector at 225 nm. The interior surface of the front piece of the cassette filter holder also is analyzed. Average recoveries were 0.98 to 1.00 after fortification of PVC filters with 12- to 412-μg quantities of cyanuric acid. Average recoveries of trichloroisocyanuric acid were 0.83 to 0.98 after fortification of glass surfaces with 12- to 424-μg quantities (these are reasonable approximations for recoveries of trichloroisocyanuric acid from PVC filters). The analyst should ascertain which analyte is present at the sampling site because trichloroisocyanuric acid reacts with water in the phosphate buffer to form cyanuric acid in high yield.