Patent ID: 8362298

Claim:
A hydrolyzed nitrilotriacetonitrile composition prepared by a process comprising: adding an amount of nitrilotriacetonitrile (NTAN) to a solution including an acid catalyst in a single or bulk addition with stirring to form a reaction mixture, hydrolyzing the NTAN in the reaction mixture with stirring for a period of time no more than about 1 hour with no external heating to form a hydrolyzed reaction mixture, after hydrolyzing, adjusting the pH of the hydrolyzed reaction mixture to a pH of at least 8 to form a crude hydrolyzed NTAN composition, and contacting the crude hydrolyzed NTAN composition with an effective amount of an oxidizing agent for a time and at a temperature sufficient to minimize a concentration of free cyanide in the crude hydrolyzed NTAN composition to a desired low level to form a hydrolyzed NTAN composition having the desired low level of free cyanide.