Indirect determination of iodate by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry

An indirect method for determination of trace iodate in certain high-purity chemicals by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) is described. Iodate forms a stable ion-association complex Hg(dipy)(2)](IO(3))(2) in neutral medium, which can be extracted into methyl isobutyl ketone with 99% efficiency. The extract can be analysed for mercury (and hence indirectly for iodate) by flameless AAS. The limit of detection for iodate by this method is 7.5 ng. Apparent recoveries of 92-112% have been obtained for spikes of 0.25-0.70 mug of iodate.