Chemical amplification methods for the sequential determination of trace amounts of ruthenium by titrimetric and spectrophotometric procedures

Two simple, inexpensive and rapid iodometric and spectrophotometric procedures were developed for trace amount determination of ruthenium. The proposed methods were based on the oxidation of ruthenium(II or III) with sodium periodate at pH 2.4-3.6, masking the excess periodate with sodium molybdate. The released iodate was then allowed to react with KI at pH 3, with subsequent determination of the released iodine spectrophotometry as triiodide at 350 nm or iodometry with 0.005 M sodium thiosulphate. This procedure offers an 18- and 15-fold amplification per Ru(II) or Ru(III) ion, respectively. Alternatively, the produced iodine was extracted with CHCl3, shaken with an aqueous solution of sodium sulphite and the produced iodide ion was then allowed to react with bromine (or sodium periodate). The released iodate was subsequently determined by iodometry or spectrophotometry after addition of KI. The bromine and sodium periodate oxidation procedures offered 90- and 360-fold amplification per ruthenium(III) ion, and 108- and 432-fold amplification per ruthenium(II) ion. Ruthenium(IV) content was determined by these procedures after prior reduction to Ru(II) with sulphurous acid. The binary mixtures Ru(II)Ru(III); Ru(III)-Ru(IV) and Ru(II)-Ru(IV) in aqueous solution at concentration 0.05 mu g ml(-1) were successfully analyzed by the developed procedures. The utility of the proposed methods for the analysis of ruthenium in its complexes was demonstrated. Natural seawater and seawater spiked with ruthenium were analyzed satisfactorily.