Spectrum Analysis of Milk Ashes

Abstract

Silver and molybdenum are added to the list of ‘trace’ elements in cow milk as demonstrated by spectrographic methods. Silver was found in the milk of each of twelve cows drinking water and eating alfalfa containing strong traces of the same element. Molybdenum was present in the milk of twelve cows. Either the alfalfa, the drinking water, or both contained molybdenum. Manganese, although present in the water and in the alfalfa, was not demonstrated to be present in the milk. Fluorine, which was present in the water to the amount of 2 p.p.m. was not shown to be present, although the test synthetic material recorded F when present in as small concentration as 0.02 per cent. An account is given of the other elements already reported upon by other investigators.