Spectrofluorimetric determination of superoxide dismutase using a Europium-tetracycline probe

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) can enhance the characteristic fluorescence of europium in europium (Eu(3+))-tetracycline (TC) system. According to this, a new spectrofluorimetric determination of SOD was developed. Under the optimum conditions, Eu(3+)-TC formed a ternary complex in close proximity with SOD and then intra-molecular energy transfer from TC-SOD complex to Eu(3+), which resulted in the enhancement of characteristic peak of Eu(3+) at 612 nm. The enhanced fluorescence intensity is in proportion to the concentration of SOD, and the linear range was 0.0553-38.71 microg mL(-1) with the limit of detection of 5.53 ng mL(-1). The developed method was practical, simple, sensitive and relatively free from interference coexisting substances and has been successfully applied to the determination of SOD in the plant and blood samples. The mechanism of fluorescence enhancement between Eu(3+)-TC complex and SOD was also studied.     

Spectrophotometric and atomic absorption determination of ramipril, enalapril maleate and fosinopril through ternary complex formation with molybdenum (V)-thiocyanate (Mo(V)-SCN)

Three different sensitive and accurate spectroscopic procedures were developed for the determination of three angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, namely, ramipril, enalapril maleate and fosinopril. The first two spectrophotometric (extractive and non-extractive) procedures were based on ternary complex formation with molybdenum(V) thiocyanate. The formed complex can be determined by extraction with chloroform measured at lambdamax 517 nm Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range from (10--90 microg ml(-1)) for ramipril and fosinopril and (4--36 microg ml(-1)) for enalapril maleate with molar absorptivity 1.2x10(4), 2x10(4) and 3.4x10(4) l mol(-1) cm(-1), respectively, or by direct measurement after addition of benzalkonium chloride as surfactant and measuring the formed ternary complex at lambdamax 545 nm with a linear relationship in the concentration range from (8-7-2 microg ml(-1)), (3--27 microg ml(-1)) and (8--72 microg ml(-1)) for ramipril, enalapril maleate and fosinopril with molar absorptivity 1.5x10(4), 5x10(4) and 2.1x10(4) l mol(-1) cm(-1), respectively. The third procedure is atomic absorption measurement through the quantitative determination of molybdenum content of the complex. These methods hold their accuracy and precision well when applied to the determination of ramipril, enalapril maleate and fosinopril in their dosage forms.     

铕-速尿-TOPO荧光配合物的研究及速尿的测定

在pH7.8的缓冲溶液中,铕离子、速尿和三辛基氧膦(TOPO)反应生成稳定的三元配合物,该配合物溶解在Triton X-100胶束中。以280 nm光波激发,配合物发射出铕离子的特征荧光。分析了三元配合物的紫外及荧光光谱,对配合物的生成及TOPO和Triton X-100的荧光增敏机理进行了探讨。采用时间分辨荧光法测定配合物的荧光强度,其荧光强度和速尿的浓度在一定范围内呈线性关系,建立了工作曲线的线性回归方程。方法的检出限为6.6×10-8mol/L,测定精度RSD为1.3%(4.00×10-6mol/L,n=11)。用此方法测定尿液中痕量速尿,回收率为93.0%～103%。     

Lysozyme-enhanced europium(III)-metacycline luminescence and its application to the determination of metacycline.

A new spectrofluorometric method is described for the determination of metacycline (MC), based on modified enzyme-amplified lanthanide luminescence. Under the optimum conditions, Eu3+-MC forms a ternary complex with lysozyme in close proximity. Then lysozyme can remarkably enhance the characteristic fluorescence intensity of Eu3+ at 612 nm in metacycline-Eu3+ binary complex. The enhanced fluorescence intensity is in proportion to the concentration of MC. The limit of detection is 1.6 x 10(-8) mol L(-1), with a linear range from 6.2 x 10(-6) to 1.7 x 10(-5) mol L(-1). Interferences of other coexisting substances were studied. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of MC in serum and urine samples. The mechanism of fluorescence enhancement was also studied.     

Fluorescence studies of ternary complexes of Europium and Terbium and their application to analytical determinations

Europium and Terbium were found to form ternary complexes with ethylenediammine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ortho-phenanthroline (o-phen) in aqueous solution in the pH range of 6-8. These ternary complexes were found to have 1:1:1 composition and showed strong fluorescence properties. The method is made use of for the determination of these lanthanide ions in presence of excess amounts of other lanthanide ions. The lowest detection limit was calculated as 30 and 65 ng/ml of Tb(3+) and Eu(3+), respectively.     

Simultaneous spectrofluorimetric determination of europium, dysprosium, gadolinium and terbium using chemometric methods

A spectrofluorimetric method for the simultaneous determination of dysprosium, europium, gadolinium and terbium in ternary and quaternary mixtures by the use of pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid as a chelating agent was developed. The influence of chemical variables affecting the analytical reaction was evaluated. A partial least-squares procedure and PC Quant software were used to assess data obtained from a variable number of calibration solutions and wavelengths. The ensuing method was validated by applying it to the analysis of synthetic ternary (Eu-Dy-Tb) and quaternary mixtures (Eu-Dy-Gd-Tb) over the concentration ranges 60-550 mug Eu l(-1), 30-400 mug Dy l(-1) and 30-400 mug Tb l(-1) in the former, and 20-220 mug Eu l(-1), 20-235 mug Dy l(-1), 25-230 mug Gd l(-1) and 75-230 mug Tb l(-1) in the latter. The results obtained by using the two quantitation procedures are compared. The relative errors in the determinations were less than 8% in most cases.     

Highly luminescent, triple- and quadruple-stranded, dinuclear Eu, Nd, and Sm(III) lanthanide complexes based on bis-diketonate ligands

The bis(beta-diketone) ligands 1,3-bis(3-phenyl-3-oxopropanoyl)benzene, H(2)L(1) and 1,3-bis(3-phenyl-3-oxopropanoyl) 5-ethoxy-benzene, H(2)L(2), have been prepared for the examination of dinuclear lanthanide complex formation and investigation of their properties as sensitizers for lanthanide luminescence. The ligands bear two conjugated diketonate binding sites linked by a 1,3-phenylene spacer. The ligands bind to lanthanide(III) or yttrium(III) ions to form neutral homodimetallic triple stranded complexes [M(2)L(1)(3)] where M = Eu, Nd, Sm, Y, Gd and [M(2)L(2)(3)], where M = Eu, Nd or anionic quadruple-stranded dinuclear lanthanide units, [Eu(2)L(1)(4)](2-). The crystal structure of the free ligand H(2)L(1) has been determined and shows a twisted arrangement of the two binding sites around the 1,3-phenylene spacer. The dinuclear complexes have been isolated and fully characterized. Detailed NMR investigations of the complexes confirm the formation of a single complex species, with high symmetry; the complexes show clear proton patterns with chemical shifts of a wide range due to the lanthanide paramagnetism. Addition of Pirkle's reagent to solutions of the complexes leads to splitting of the peaks, confirming the chiral nature of the complexes. Electrospray and MALDI mass spectrometry have been used to identify complex formulation and characteristic isotope patterns for the different lanthanide complexes have been obtained. The complexes have high molar absorption coefficients (around 13 x 10(4) M(-1)cm(-1)) and display strong visible (red or pink) or NIR luminescence upon irradiation at the ligand band around 350 nm, depending on the choice of the lanthanide. Emission quantum yield experiments have been performed and the luminescence signals of the dinuclear complexes have been found to be up to 11 times more intense than the luminescence signals of the mononuclear analogues. The emission quantum yields and the luminescence lifetimes are determined to be 5% and 220 micros for [Eu(2)L(1)(3)], 0.16% and 13 micros for [Sm(2)L(1)(3)], and 0.6% and 1.5 micros for [Nd(2)L(1)(3)]. The energy level of the ligand triplet state was determined from the 77 K spectrum of [Gd(2)L(1)(3)]. The bis-diketonate ligand is shown to be an efficient sensitizer, particularly for Sm and Nd. Photophysical studies of the europium complexes at room temperature and 77 K show the presence of a thermally activated deactivation pathway, which we attribute to ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT). Quenching of the luminescence from this level seems to be operational for the Eu(III) complex but not for complexes of Sm(III) and Nd(III), which exhibit long lifetimes. The quadruple-stranded europium complex has been isolated and characterized as the piperidinium salt of [Eu(2)L(1)(4)](2-). Compared with the triple-stranded Eu(III) complex in the solid state, the quadruple-stranded complex displays a more intense emission signal with a distinct emission pattern indicating the higher symmetry of the quadruple-stranded complex.     

A sensitive and selective assay of nucleic acids by measuring enhanced total internal reflected resonance light scattering signals deriving from the evanescent field at the water/tetrachloromethane interfacet

A total internal reflected resonance light scattering (TIR-RLS) technique, the coupling of resonance light scattering (RLS) technique with total internal reflected light at the interface of two immiscible liquids, where the steep change of the refractive indexes occurs to result in an evanescent field, is proposed with the characteristics of separation and enrichment properties of analytes and direct use of oil-soluble reagents free from surfactants. At pH 8.69 and ion strength 0.008, ternary amphiphilic species formed by the interaction of nucleic acids, including calf thymus DNA (ctDNA), fish sperm DNA (fsDNA), and yeast RNA (yRNA), with Eu(III) in the presence of oil-soluble trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO), are adsorbed to the water/tetrachloromethane (H20/CCl4) interface, giving rise to significantly enhanced TIR-RLS signals. It has been found that the enhanced TIR-RLS intensity at 348.0 nm is proportional to the concentration of thermally denatured ctDNA, fsDNA and yRNA in the range 0.002-2.5 microg ml(-1), 0.002-2.5 microg ml(-1) and 0.003-2.0 microg ml(-1), respectively and their limits of determination (3sigma) are 0.16 ng ml(-1), 0.19 ng ml(-1) and 0.28 ng ml(-1), correspondingly. Complicated artificial samples with highly interfering backgrounds were determined satisfactorily.     

Studies on mixed ligand complexes of samarium(III), europium(III) and dysprosium(III) with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol and trioctylphosphine oxide

The extraction behavior of Sm(III), Eu(III) and Dy(III) with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (HA) and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) from aqueous NaClO₄ solutions in the pH range 4–9 at 0.1M ionic strength has been studied. The equilibrium concentrations of Sm and Dy were measured using their short-lived neutron activation products,¹⁵⁵Sm and^165mDy, respectively. In the case of Eu, the concentrations were assayed through the^152,154Eu radiotracer. The distribution ratios of these elements were determined as a function of pH, 1-nitroso-2-naphthol and TOPO concentrations. The extractions of Sm, Eu and Dy were found to be quantitative with MIBK solutions in the pH range 5.9–7.5, 5.6–7.5 and 5.8–7.5, respectively. Quantitative extraction of Eu was also obtained between pH 5.8 and 8.8 with chloroform solutions. The results show that these lanthanides (Ln) are extracted as LnA₃ chelates with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol alone, and in the presence of TOPO as LnA₃(TOPO) and LnA₃(TOPO)₂ adducts. The extraction constants and the adduct formation constants of these complexes have been calculated.     

Mixed ligand chelate extraction of lanthanides with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-octanoyl-5-pyrazolone systems

The equilibrium extraction behavior for a series of representative trivalent lanthanide ions, Pr, Eu, and Yb, using chloroform solutions containing 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-octanoyl-5-pyrazolone (HPMOP), either alone or combined with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) or methyltrioctylaromonium chloride (R₃R'NCl), is studied. The results demonstrate that these lanthanides are extracted as LnP₃, or in the presence of phen or TOPO. as LnP₃ · phen or LnP₃ · TOPO, or in the presence of R₃R'NCl, as R₃R'NLnP₄. The effects of phen, TOPO, and R₃R—NCl on the extraction of lanthanide ions with HPMOP are more pronounced than their effects with 8-quinolinol or 5,7-dibromo-8-quinolinol.     

N-Heterocyclic tridentate aromatic ligands bound to [Ln(hexafluoroacetylacetonate)3] units: thermodynamic, structural, and luminescent properties

Herein, we discuss how, why, and when cascade complexation reactions produce stable, mononuclear, luminescent ternary complexes, by considering the binding of hexafluoroacetylacetonate anions (hfac(-)) and neutral, semi-rigid, tridentate 2,6-bis(benzimidazol-2-yl)pyridine ligands (Lk) to trivalent lanthanide atoms (Ln(III)). The solid-state structures of [Ln(Lk)(hfac)(3)] (Ln=La, Eu, Lu) showed that [Ln(hfac)(3)] behaved as a neutral six-coordinate lanthanide carrier with remarkable properties: 1) the strong cohesion between the trivalent cation and the didentate hfac anions prevented salt dissociation; 2) the electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl substituents limited charge-neutralization and favored cascade complexation with Lk; 3) nine-coordination was preserved for [Ln(Lk)(hfac)(3)] for the complete lanthanide series, whilst a counterintuitive trend showed that the complexes formed with the smaller lanthanide elements were destabilized. Thermodynamic and NMR spectroscopic studies in solution confirmed that these characteristics were retained for solvated molecules, but the operation of concerted anion/ligand transfers with the larger cations induced subtle structural variations. Combined with the strong red photoluminescence of [Eu(Lk)(hfac)(3)], the ternary system Ln(III)/hfac(-)/Lk is a promising candidate for the planned metal-loading of preformed multi-tridentate polymers.     

The surfactant sensitized analytical reaction of cerium(IV) with some triphenylformazan derivatives

Cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB), sensitizes the colour reaction of cerium(IV) with 1,3-o-hydroxyphenyl-5-phenylformazan(I), 1-m-hydroxyphenyl-3-o-hydroxyphenyl-5-phenylformazan(II) and 1-m-carboxyphenyl-3-o-hydroxyphenyl-5-phenylformazan(III). The formation of a soluble ternary complex of stoichiometric ratio 1:1:1 (Ce(IV)-R-CPB) is responsible for the observed enhancement in the molar absorptivity and Sandell sensitivity of the formed complex, when a surfactant is present. The ternary complex exhibits absorption maxima at 596, 571 and 607 nm (epsilon=6.05 x 10(4), 6.28 x 10(4) and 8.06 x 10(4)L mol(-1)cm(-1)) using triphenylformazan derivatives I, II and III, respectively. Beer's law is obeyed between 0.15 and 2.5 microg ml(-1), whereas, optimum concentration range applying Ringbom method is in the range 0.30-2.25 microg ml(-1). Conditional formation constants in the presence and absence of CPB for Ce(IV) complexes have been calculated. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the analysis of magnesium-base cerium alloys and synthetic mixtures corresponding to various cerium alloys.     

Coordination modes in the formation of the ternary Am(III), Cm(III), and Eu(III) complexes with EDTA and NTA: TRLFS, 13C NMR, EXAFS, and thermodynamics of the complexation

The formation and the structure of the ternary complexes of trivalent Am, Cm, and Eu with mixtures of EDTA+NTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetate and nitrilotriacetate) have been studied by time-resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy, 13C NMR, extended X-ray absorption fine structure, and two-phase metal ion equilibrium distribution at 6.60 m (NaClO4) and a hydrogen ion concentration value (pcH) between 3.60 and 11.50. In the ternary complexes, EDTA binds via four carboxylates and two nitrogens, while the binding of the NTA varies with the hydrogen ion concentration, pcH, and the concentration ratios of the metal ion and the ligand. When the concentration ratios of the metal to ligand is low (1:1:1-1:1:2), two ternary complexes, M(EDTA)(NTAH)(3-) and M(EDTA)(NTA)(4-), are formed at pcH ca. 9.00 in which NTA binds via three carboxylates, via two carboxylates and one nitrogen, or via two carboxylates and a H2O. At higher ratios (1:1:20 and 1:10:10) and pcH's of ca. 9.00 and 11.50, one ternary complex, M(EDTA)(NTA)(4-), is formed in which NTA binds via three carboxylates and not via nitrogen. The two-phase equilibrium distribution studies at tracer concentrations of Am, Cm, and Eu have also confirmed the formation of the ternary complex M(EDTA)(NTA)(4-) at temperatures between 0 and 60 degrees C. The stability constants (log beta111) for these metal ions increase with increasing temperature. The endothermic enthalpy and positive entropy indicated a significant effect of cation dehydration in the formation of the ternary complexes at high ionic strength.     

Lipophilic ternary complexes in liquid–liquid extraction of trivalent lanthanides

The formation of ternary complexes between lanthanide ions [Nd(III) or Eu(III)], octyl(phenyl)-N,N-diisobutyl-carbamoylmethylphosphine oxide (CMPO), and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) was probed by liquid–liquid extraction and spectroscopic techniques. Equilibrium modeling of data for the extraction of Nd(III) or Eu(III) from lactic acid media into n-dodecane solutions of CMPO and HDEHP indicates the predominant extracted species are of the type [Ln(AHA)₂(A)] and [Ln(CMPO)(AHA)₂(A)], where Ln?=?Nd or Eu and A represents the DEHP^? anion. FTIR (for both Eu and Nd) and visible spectrophotometry (in the case of Nd) indicate the formation of the [Ln(CMPO)(A)₃] complexes when CMPO is added to n-dodecane solutions of the LnA₃ compounds. Both techniques indicate a stronger propensity of CMPO to complex Nd(III) versus Eu(III).     

Determination of salbutamol using on-line solid-phase extraction and sequential injection analysis. Comparison of chemiluminescence and fluorescence detection

Determination of salbutamol using sequential injection analysis (SIA) with chemiluminescence and fluorescence detection has been devised. The chemiluminescence signal was emitted during the oxidation of salbutamol by potassium permanganate in sulfuric acid medium. Sodium polyphosphate was used as chemiluminescence enhancer. The fluorescence signal (excitation wavelength 230 nm) was also measured in sulfuric acid medium. Both detection techniques were compared with respect to the application of the methods to the determination of salbutamol in biological materials. The sample pre-treatment takes place directly in the SIA system, when salbutamol is adsorbed on the solid-phase (Baker-carboxylic acid) microcolumn integrated into the system. Sulfuric acid serves both as the reagent and the eluent. The lab-made SIA system consisted of a 2.5-mL Cavro syringe pump, ten-port Vici Valco selection valve and Spectra-Physics FS 970 fluorescence detector, which was lab-modified for chemiluminescence detection. The system was controlled by a PC using originally compiled LabVIEW-supported software. Concentrations, volumes of reagents and flow rates were optimised by a simplex method. Salbutamol was determined in the linear range 0.05-10 microg mL(-1) (RSD 1.53%), with the detection limit (3 sigma) 0.03 microg mL(-1) and sample throughput of 42 samples per hour with chemiluminescence detection in standard solutions. The fluorescence detection enabled the determination of salbutamol in standard solutions in the linear range 0.5-100 microg mL(-1) (RSD 2.69%), with the detection limit 0.2 microg mL(-1) and sample throughput of 24 h(-1). The proposed methods were applied to the determination of salbutamol in human serum and urine. However, serum is a very complicated matrix and the SIA-SPE analysis did not provide satisfactory results. It was possible to determine salbutamol in human urine using this technique. Better recovery was achieved with fluorescence detection.     

Simultaneous determination of Dy, Eu, Sm and Tb by laser induced-time resolved derivative fluorescence

Summary In this paper, a highly sensitive laser fluorimetric system coupled with microcomputer is described and the laser induced fluorescence of ternary complexes formed by RE (RE = Dy, Eu, Sm, and Tb) with TFA (Trifluoroacetylacetone) and TOPO (Trioctylphosphine oxide) is studied. The emission spectra (excited at 310 nm) of the TFA/TOPO complexes of the rare earths show that the strongest emission bands are located at 560 nm for Dy, 614 nm for Eu, 644 nm for Sm, and 544 nm for Tb. Thus, it is preferable to establish the detection at these wavelengths. However, it is difficult to detect one single component with high selectivity in a mixed sample, because the emission bands in the 500–700 nm region overlap. In order to improve the selectivity, time resolved and derivative techniques are introduced. The effects of foreign ions on the determinations of these four elements are investigated. The linear relationships between derivatives and the concentrations of Dy, Eu, Sm, and Tb are 5×10^–8 to 5×10^–6 mol/l, 5×10^–10 to 1×10^–7 mol/l, 1×10^–9 to 2×10^–6 mol/l, and 2×10^–9 to 2×10^–6 mol/l, respectively. The method was used to determine simultaneously the amounts of Dy, Eu, Sm, and Tb in their mixtures and yttrium oxide without pre-separation.     

Analytical application of the complexation of Nb(V) with bromopyrogallol red in micellar media

A spectrophotometric method for the détermination of trace amounts of Nb(V) based on the formation of a ternary complex with Bromopyrogallol Red (L) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) in 1M hydrochloric acid/15% dimethylformamide medium has been developed. The ternary 1:2:2 Nb-L-CPB complex is formed. The absorbance maximum is at 645 nm, the molar absorptivity being (4.00 +/- 0.04) x 10(4) l.mole(-1).cm(-1). The relative standard deviation is 1.9% and Beer's law is obeyed up to 1.4 mug of Nb(V) per ml. The application of the method to the determination of Nb in pyrochlore-bearing rocks is described. A possible mechanism of interaction of the surfactant with the Nb-L complex is discussed.     

Investigation of chelate formation, intramolecular energy transfer and luminescence efficiency and lifetimes in the Eu-thenoyltrifluoroacetone-trioctylphosphine oxide-Triton X-100 system using absorbance, fluorescence and photothermal measurements

The formation and the photophysical properties of the europium-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)-Triton X-100 chelate were investigated. When the medium is buffered with acetate, there is a strong competition between acetate and TTA for coordination with europium ions. When TOPO is added into the solution, the Eu-TTA-TOPO ternary chelate forms more easily, probably because the coligand acts as a synergic agent and would favour the formation of the enol form of TTA. Although the stoichiometric composition of the chelate is expected to be Eu(TTA)3(TOPO)2, the Eu-TTA and the Eu-TOPO mole ratios may be within 2-3 and 1-2, respectively, depending on the composition of the solution. However, the fluorescent properties of the chelate seem to be mainly dominated by its actual concentration into the solution rather than by its composition. Time resolution of europium emission spectra in the microsecond range has shown that energy transfer occurs from the TTA ligand to the 5D1 level of europium. Then, the emitting 5D0 level is populated through non-radiative deactivation of 5D1. The observed lifetimes of the 5D1 and 5D0 states are 1.25 and 860 micros, respectively. The overall fluorescence quantum yield of the chelate, measured by the photothermal method, is found to be 0.22. On the basis of the time-resolved photothermal experiments, the fluorescence quantum yield of the 5D0 state is expected to be > 0.8 and the energy transfer efficiency < 0.28.     

Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods for the determination of ramipril in its pure and dosage form

This paper describes three sensitive spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric methods for determination of ramipril in its pure form and pharmaceutical tablets. The first method is based on the oxidation of the drug with 1-chlorobenzotriazole reagent (CBT) in strong alkaline medium followed by measuring the absorbance at 350 nm. The method obeys Beer's law over concentration range 15-50 microg ml(-1). For the second and third, both are non-extractive methods based on the formation of ternary complex between copper (II), eosin and ramipril in the presence of methylcellulose as surfactant. Spectrophotometrically, under the optimum condition, the ternary complex showed an absorption maximum at 543 nm. The method obeys Beer's law over concentration range of 20-80 microg ml(-1). A fluorescence quenching method for the determination of ramipril by forming this ternary complex was also investigated for the propose of enhance the sensitivity of the determination. The methods are simple, sensitive, and accurate. The results obtained are reproducible with a coefficient of variation less than 2%. The proposed have been successfully applied to the assay of ramipril in tablets. The results compare favorably with official method.     

Micelle mediated extraction of titanium and its ultra-trace determination in silicate rocks

A highly sensitive method for extractive spectrophotometric determination of titanium in silicate rocks is described. Titanium in the range 0-10 microg as TiO2 is extracted into benzene or toluene by the formation of a ternary complex of the metal with thiocyanate (SCN-) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTA) in the ratio 1:2:2. A deep yellowish-orange ternary complex thus formed is suitable for the determination of titanium at wavelength 421 nm. The optimum colour intensity of this ternary complex was attained when the complex was extracted from an aqueous solution having concentrations of thiocyanate and HCl, in the range, 1.5-2.5 and 1-5 mol L(-1), respectively. The molar absorptivity and Sandell's sensitivity of the extracted species were found to be 1.1-1.0x10(5) L mol(-1) cm(-1) and 0.47 ng cm(-2) (referred to titanium), respectively, at lambda(max) of 421 nm. Except Fe3+, Nb5+ and V5+, no interference was encountered in the estimation of titanium. While up to 10 mg L(-1) Nb and V did not interfere in the determination of titanium, the interference of Fe(3+) was eliminated by reducing it to Fe2+ using SnCl2 solution. The method is highly sensitive and selective. The results obtained for titanium estimation in a host of silicate rock samples have been found to be highly reproducible, accurate and favourably comparable with certified values of reference materials and those obtained from standard methods.