Objective:To develop a simple and sensitive method for the determination of trace phenol in water samples of environment.Methods:Based on the catalytic effect of phenol for the oxidation of arizarin red(AR) by potassium bromate in sulphuric acid medium,a catalytic spectrophotometric method was proposed for the determination of trace phenol.Results:The linear range and the determination limit for phenol were 0.08~1.20 μg/ml and 0.046 μg/ml,respectively.The RSD was 1.92%,2.24%,The recovery rate was 97.5%-104.0%.Conclusion:It is quick and...