Determination of trace nitrite by catalytic spectrophotometric method with methyl violet

A new catalytic spectrophotometric method for determining trace nitrite has been developed,It is based on the catalytic effect of trace nitrite on the oxidation of methyl violet by potassium bromate. This method is operated in the room temperature and without disturbance from many ions.The optimum experiment conditions for the determination was found. The detection limit for nitrite is 2.89×10~(-3) μg/mL, the linear range of the determination is 0.003～0.28 μg/mL. The mothod has been applied to determine trace nitrite in ham with satisfactory results.