Device and method for detecting methylsothiocyanate

1. A device adapted to be put in contact with a gas specimen to detect methylisothiocyanate, the device comprising a main body with a surface having at least one indicator for qualitative or quantitative determination of methylisothiocyanate disposed thereon, wherein at least one said indicator is palladium sulfate, and the indicator experiences a color change when it is exposed to a gas specimen containing methylisothiocyanate.

2. The device as defined by claim 1 , wherein the at least one indicator includes an indication layer comprising palladium sulfate dissolved in sulfuric acid and applied to a substrate.

3. The device as defined by claim 2 , wherein the substrate comprises quartz glass.

4. The device as defined by claim 2 , wherein the indication layer further comprises nitric acid, whereby a storage stability of the indicator is improved.

5. The device as defined by claim 1 , wherein the indicator is applied to the surface in the form of a pourable solid.

6. The device as defined by claim 5 , wherein the indicator includes an indication layer comprising palladium sulfate dissolved in sulfuric acid and applied to a substrate.

7. The device as defined by claim 1 , wherein the main body is tubular, whereby the gas specimen flows through it.

8. The device as defined by claim 7 , wherein the main body is a transparent test tube and the surface on which the indicator is disposed is an inner surface of the transparent test tube.

9. The device as defined by claim 1 , further comprising a drying layer applied to the surface of the main body.

10. The device as defined by claim 9 , wherein the drying layer comprises calcium chloride.

11. The device as defined by claim 7 , further comprising a drying layer disposed in a first tube and the indication layer is disposed in a second tube in flow communication with the first tube.

12. The device as defined by claim 7 , further comprising a hand pump mounted to an end of the tubular main body.

13. A method for detecting methylisothiocyanate in a gas specimen to be investigated, comprising:

providing a device comprising a main body with a surface having at least one indicator for qualitative or quantitative determination of methylisothiocyanate disposed thereon, wherein at least one said indicator is palladium sulfate, and the indicator experiences a color change when it is exposed to a gas specimen containing methylisothiocyanate;

exposing the at least one indicator to the gas specimen to be investigated; and

determining whether the indicator undergoes a color change to determine whether the gas specimen contains methylisothiocyanate.

14. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the indicator comprises palladium sulfate dissolved in sulfuric acid.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the indicator further comprises nitric acid.

16. The method as defined in claim 14 , wherein the indicator is applied to a substrate so as to comprise a pourable solid.

17. The method as defined in claim 13 , wherein the device comprises a test tube having the indicator disposed as a layer on an inner surface thereof, and wherein said step of exposing comprises conducting the gas specimen through the test tube.

18. The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the indicator layer is formed by dissolving palladium sulfate in sulfuric acid and applying it to a substrate whereby the preparation remains pourable, and pouring the preparation onto the surface to define an indicator layer.

19. The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein the test tube has a scale for quantitative or semi-quantitative analysis of the methylisothiocyanate.

20. The method as defined in claim 17 , wherein a defined quantity of the gas specimen is passed through the test tube by means of a hand pump, so as to be exposed to the indicator, the hand pump being placed on an end of the test tube.