Determination of trace amounts of molybdenum in water samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry after cobalt-dithiocarbamate coprecipitation

Summary A method for the determination of trace amounts of molybdenum in fresh water and seawater samples by sequential ICP-AES with microsampling technique after cobalt-dithiocarbamate coprecipitation was developed. The precipitate was dissolved in 100 l of diluted nitric acid (1:2), and the solution obtained was then introduced into an ICP via a concentric nebulizer. By use of 1.7 ml sample, a preconcentration factor of 17 was achieved. Different factors including integration time, sample volume, pumping rate as well as coprecipitation conditions such as pH of the solution, amounts of reagents, standing time for the precipitate and matrix effects were examined and optimized in detail. Under selected conditions the detection limit of the method for Mo is 0.52 g/l using 1.7 ml sample. The procedure was applied to the analysis of water samples (artificial water and open ocean seawater reference material) with quantitative recovery. The analytical results were in good agreement with the certified value. The method is sensitive, simple, accurate and effective, also in the presence of interfering salts and can be applied to small sample volumes.On leave from the Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072 China