Organic Reagents for trace analysis

Organic Reagents for trace analysis - J. Fries

The growing interest in trace analysis is documented by the continually increasing volume of publications on the subject. The traces to be determined - whether as undesirable or even interfering impurities in a matrix, or as necessary additives - call for special methods of analysis. One of the techniques most frequently used in trace analysis is the enrichment and isolation of the trace elements concerned, and their subsequent photometric determination. For both steps there are organic reagents available which form often intensely coloured complexes with the elements to be determined. The high selectivity and the very great sensitivity with which many of these reagents respond to the latter elements form the basis for numerous photometric methods of analysis. The intention with this manual is to make available a compilation of photometric methods of analysis which have been tested in the course of Merck's decades of experience in the field of trace analysis. Each section also contains brief reviews of the most important reagents for the trace/trace element concerned, together with a short description of the nature of their application. In addition to photometry, other fields of application are described such as titrimetric and, less frequently, gravimetric analysis. The extensive compilation of references to the literature will enable the reader to consult the original papers. The manual provides information on reagents, methods, sensitivity, accuracy, specificity and interferences in as condensed and rapidly reviewable form as possible. In addition to the detailed procedures described, which have proved their worth in Merck laboratories, other reagents are also listed which are less common but still of importance for special purposes. The manual is designed to assist the analyst in tackling his problems, selecting analytical techniques and employing "Organic Reagents for Trace Analysis".