The determination of small amounts of fluorine in rocks and minerals

Abstract

A shortened method of fluorine determination in rocks and minerals is described. A small, powdered sample is decomposed by alkaline fusion; fluorine is separated by a form of Willard-Winter distillation and collected on anion-exchange resin. After elution, the fluorine is determined colorimetrically by a zirconium-Eriochrome cyanine R method. The method is intended to cover the determination of fluorine in concentrations down to the normal lower trace levels in rocks.