Enrichment of trace scandium with microcrystalline naphthalene and subsequent ICP-AES determination

A new method is proposed to preconcentrate and separate trace scandium from a large volume of aqueous solution by solid liquid extraction with microcrystalline naphthalene. Scandium oxinate can be adsorbed onto microcrystalline naphthalene quantitatively under certain conditions. The effects of various experimental parameters have been optimized. The influence of additive of cobalt (II) on recovery of scandium (III) is studied in detail. The proposed method has been used for determination of Sc in Certified Reference Material of “Vehicle Exhaust Particulates”.