A colorimetric method for direct determlnatlon of formaldehyde In textlle fabrics and other materlals Is described. Color development and breaking formaldehyde bonds of the analyzed material occur simultaneoudy In the same reaction mlxture without destruction of the materlal. The method Is based on the color reaction of formaldehyde with indole-3acetic acid or tryptophan. Common inorganic salts, higher allphatlc aldehydes, carbohydrates, amino acids (except tryptophan), and many other organic compounds do not react and do not Interfere with the color reaction. Some interferences have been exhibited by acetaklehyde and glyoxal. The method was simole, accurate, and relatively insensitive to the reaction conditions. Only very small amounts of material are needed, and the reactlon proceeds at room temperature. Different klnds of polymeric materials have been analyzed successfully (cotton, wool, plastks, collagen, wood, and furs).
Most of the dyed fabrics or other materlals could be analyzed