The Ammonia Leak Detection Cloth is used for the detection of leaks in sealed incubators, such as those used for infectious disease studies and in the treatment of premature birth. Industrial uses for detection of ammonia gas include sealed containers and filtration systems. The cloth is sensitive to vapors from a 1% solution of Ammonia.
The Ammonia Leak Detection Cloth is reversible. As long as the cloth reverts back to the original goldenrod yellow colour, it will continue to change when exposed to ammonia vapours. Eventually, it will not revert back to its original colour and can no longer be reused. It works best if exposed to vapours. If the cloth gets wet, it will not be reusable.
Instructions:
1. Place the Ammonia Leak Detection Cloth near a suspected leak.
2. The cloth will turn blue immediately upon detection.
The Ammonia Leak Detection Cloth is treated with a dilute ethanol solution of bromothymol blue and phenolphthalein (10:1 ratio) and air dried. When dry, the cloth is a yellow-orange color. When exposed to ammonia vapors, the indicator dyes turn the cloth blue/green due to the alkaline nature of the ammonia.
In air, the cloth reverses back to the yellow-orange color as it absorbs CO2 from the air. The carbonic acid lowers the pH and thus the indicator dyes revert back to their acidic color. This reversal can be accelerated if the cloth is placed in an acidic environment (say a vinegar/acetic acid atmosphere.)
