DETERMINATION OF LEAD BY DITHIZONE IN A SINGLE PHASE WATER–ACETONE SYSTEM
A modification of the dithizone colorimetric procedure for determination of lead has been developed. By working in an aqueous acetone system (70% acetone by volume) the usual extraction step is avoided. Aqueous ethanol or methanol may also be employed or, under suitable circumstances, water may be omitted from the solvent system. The 70% acetone system proposed is tolerant of cyanide, added to convert interfering ions into non-interfering complex ions, and the interference of copper under the conditions adopted was determined. This system was also found compatible with hydroxylamine, used as stabilizer, and with the barbital buffer. A reproducibility of about 2% was obtained when working with standards in the range from 0 to 10 μg. of lead and the technique was found to be sensitive to 0.1 p.p.m.