Field determination of nanogram quantities of mercury in soils and rocks
Open-File Report
65-71
By: Margaret Hinkle, Kam Wo Leong, and F. N. Ward
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Abstract
A method for determining nanogram quantities of mercury in geological materials is based on the catalytic effect of mercury on the reaction of ferrocyanide with nitrosobenzene to produce a violet-covered compound whose intensity if proportional to the mercury present. The mercury is released by heating a sample of soil or crushed rock to about 650°C. As little as 30 nanograms of mercury (30 parts per billion with 1 gram sample) can be detected. The reliability of the method is adequate to permit its use in geochemical surveys that utilize mercury as a pathfinder element.
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Field determination of nanogram quantities of mercury in soils and rocks |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 65-71 |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr6571 |
| Year Published | 1965 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Description | 14 p. |