0000000001008019
AUTHOR
Jóse Vicente Gimeno Adelantado
Spectrophotometric determination of fluoride in fluoride-bearing minerals after decomposition by fusion with sodium hydroxide
The decomposition of highly insoluble minerals (fluorspar and cryolite) by fusion with molten alkali-metal hydroxides is studied. The introduction of additives such as aluminium compounds or sodium peroxide to obtain total liberation of fluoride from calcium fluoride samples, is tested. The fusion is done in a silver crucible with a Bunsen burner. The cooled melt is easily soluble, giving solutions suitable for spectrophotometric fluoride determination by the Zr(IV)-fluoride-Erichrome Cyanine R method.
Determination of fluoride after direct separation from acid medium by collection of its volatile compounds
A method is proposed for determination of fluoride by separation in acid medium followed by ion-selective electrode measurement. The separation is done at temperatures up to 200 °C, without any previous treatment of the sample, in a PTFE reactor designed to ensure the complete absorption of volatile fluoride compounds. The distillation variables (temperature, time and acid concentration) have been optimized and the interference of other various species in the separation step has been studied. The method has been applied to geological samples. The results obtained are statistically satisfactory.