Spectrochemical Determination of Nanogram Amounts of Cobalt in Blood Using the Copper-Spark Method

Abstract

The superiority of spectrographic methods in the estimation of cobalt, the minor constituent in human blood, is pointed out. The main advantages are speed, sensitivity, and certainty in the identification of the trace elements being determined. The analysis is carried out using an ion-exchange concentration method to separate nanograms of cobalt ions from the interfering extraneous elements, followed by a copper spark method which proved to be valuable in reducing the limit of detection. Illustrated examples are given of the kinds of work to which the method is applied.