Micro-determination of antimony in organoantimony compounds by atomic-absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract

A direct method is described for the micro-determination of antimony in organoantimony compounds, using atomic-absorption spectrophotometry. Air-acetylene and air-hydrogen flames have been used and compared: the latter is preferred on account of the lower noise. The effects of varying instrumental and chemical parameters have been studied.

A number of relatively involatile organoantimony compounds and inorganic antimony salts have been analysed by the proposed method and also by an alternative spectrophotometric method. The proposed method involves merely dissolving the sample in a mixed solvent and aspirating the solutions into the flame, thus avoiding preliminary decomposition and extraction steps. The method is simple, accurate and rapid, and equally useful for inorganic and organic antimony compounds.