Chemical enhancement method for the determination of mercury by spectrophotometry after iodide extraction.

A selective and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of 0.08-2.5 ppb of mercury(II) is described. Mercury is extracted as tetraiodomercury(II)-Cd-phenanthroline ion-pair into benzene and selectively stripped into EDTA. The iodide associated with mercury present in the stripping is oxidized to iodate and then treated with excess iodide to give iodine. The iodine formed is extracted into benzene and equilibrated with iodate in acidic medium in the presence of chloride and Rhodamine 6G for the formation of ICI(-)(2) species and its extraction as ion-pair with Rhodamine 6G. Determination is completed by measuring the absorption of the extract at 535 nm. The coefficient of variation is 1.5% for 10 determinations of 200 ng of mercury. The method has been applied to establish the mercury content of natural waters and chloralkali plant effluent.