D. Purves,trace-element contamination of the environment : Elsevier,Amsterdam, 1977, xi + 260 pp., price Dfl. 85, U.S. $34.75

A study of the dissolution rate of magnetite electrodes required a reasonably precise method for the determination of iron in aqueous solutions containing 1 mol kg^-1 sodium perchlorate. Atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization in the wavelength range 248–392 nm with ashing at 1600°C proved to be the most satisfactory method. Iron concentrations in the range 0.1–100 μg ml^-1 were determined with 1-μl samples. The addition of low flow rates of acetylene to the nitrogen purge gas improved the reproducibility and increased the carbon rod lifetime.