A rapid geochemical spectrophotometric determination of tungsten with dithiol.

1-g sample is decomposed with nitric and hydrofluoric acids, and after evaporation of the solution to dryness the residue is dissolved in concentrated hydrochloric acid. A clear aliquot is treated with stannous chloride to inhibit interferences. The blue tungsten dithiol complex is developed at a temperature of 85 degrees over a half-hour period. The complex is extracted into 2 ml of heptane and the tungsten is determined spectrophotometrically with a sensitivity of 0.5 ppm. Fifty samples per man-day can be analysed in this manner.