Spectrophotometric determination of cobalt in a vitamin, alloys and an ore by extraction of its 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone 4-oxime complex into molten naphthalene.

A selective spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of cobalt after extraction of its 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone 4-oxime (HMNQM) complex into molten naphthalene. The optimum pH range for the extraction is 5.0-7.5. The solidified naphthalene, containing the cobalt-HMNQM complex, is separated by filtration and dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide. The absorbance is measured at 430 nm against a reagent blank. Beer's law is obeyed up to 1.90 ppm cobalt. The molar absorptivity is 2.09 x 10(4) l.mole(-1).cm(-1).