Determination of ruthenium and iridium in anode coatings by atomic-absorption spectroscopy

A method is described for the determination of ruthenium and iridium coated on an electrode surface. The coating is chemically removed from the electrode by fusion with alkali, and the resulting solution prepared for analysis. Interelement interferences are eliminated by using a titanium-potassium matrix solution as a releasing agent. Recovery and precision data are given for ruthenium and iridium. The AAS determination of ruthenium compares favourably with a standard colorimetric method.