Spectrophotometric determination of cerium with sulphanilic acid.

In the presence of other rare earths, cerium(IV) can be determined spectrophotometrically by its reaction with sulphanilic acid with which it produces a red colour. Solutions containing 28-210 ppm of cerium absorb at 495 mmicro according to Beer's law. Other rare earths, except neodymium, and many common ions do not interfere. Strong oxidising agents and neodymium in greater than fifty times the concentration of cerium interfere with this method. The precision depends on the control of pH and time. Cerium alloys have been analysed by this method and the results are compared with those obtained by another spectrophotometric method.