Spectrofluorometric determination of trace amounts of terbium with 4-chlorosalicylic acid, EDTA, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide.

The quadruple complex formed by terbium with 4-chlorosalicylic acid (CSA), EDTA and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB) has been used for the sensitive spectrofluorometric determination of terbium in mixed rare earths. The effect of the experimental conditions on the fluorescence intensity was defined. Under the optimum conditions selected, the fluorescence intensity was linear with the terbium concentration in the range of 3.0 x 10(-8)-1.0 x 10(-5) mol/L with a detection limit of 8.0 x 10(-9) mol/L (S/N = 3). It has been satisfactory for the determination of terbium in mixed rare earths with good recovery.