Cyanide in NPDES Wastewater Samples
A common practice for cyanide extraction in soil and sediment is acid distillation. This approach is valid for all cyanide forms except the double metal cyanide complexes that are most likely to be present. The quality control practice of spiking a soil sample with simple cyanides, or strong metal-cyanide complexes, to validate acid distillation is misleading because these cyanide complexes are readily soluble. Acid distillation of cyanide in soil results in low and irreproducible recoveries for the double metal cyanide complexes most likely to be present. Acid distillation of cyanide in soil is ineffective and does not accurately measure total cyanide, nor does it estimate cyanide toxicity.
Learn more about the extraction and analysis of cyanide in soil and sediment samples