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Following the introduction of automobile catalysts in the middle of the Eighties in Germany there is an increasing emission of the platinum-group-metals (PGM) platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh). Still, it remains unclear if these metals are bioavailable for aquatic animals and to which extent they accumulate in the aquatic biosphere. Zebra mussels ( Dreissena polymorpha ) were maintained in water containing road dust at a concentration of 1 kg/10 l. Following an exposure period of 26 weeks, soft tissues of the mussels were analysed applying adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (ACSV) for the determination of Pt and Rh and total-reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis after co-precipitation of Pd with mercury. This experiment revealed for the first time that all the three catalyst emitted metals were accumulated by mussels. The bioaccumulation increased in the following manner: Rh

A method for the determination of platinum is presented. The procedure consists of a high-pressure digestion of the sample followed by an ion Chromatographic separation. Then the platinum chloro complex is detected by UV-absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and reliable procedure for the determination of platinum including high pressure ashing, separation and detection by graphite furnace AAS has been developed. It was put to practical use in the analysis of biotic and environmental materials polluted with platinum in the concentration range μg/kg to g/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]