Colorimetric Determination of Molybdenum (III) by KCNS

A colorimetric method for the determination of Mo (III) in acidic solution is developed. The metal ion forms a reddish colored complex with CNS⁻ ligand in acidic medium. The complex formation is complete within few seconds. The complex is stable for four hours in acidic medium at room temperature but dissociates on heating. The complex shows maximum absorbance at 500 nm. The beer's law is obeyed in the range of 100 to 500 μ gs of Molybdenum. The molar absorptivity (E) is found to be 20.00 l mole⁻¹ cm⁻¹. Synthetic samples are prepared and the method has been applied successfully.