Dibenzyldithiocarbamic acid (DBDC) exhibits the ability to speciate between chromium(VI) and chromium(III), since only the chromium(VI) will form complexes with DBDC. The complex is then extracted into an organic solvent and assayed using an ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometer at 498.8 nm. Using 250 ml of aqueous sample detection limits less than 1 ng/ml are possible, while the linear range extends to 500 gmg/ml when working at 498.8 nm. Oxidation of the chromium(III) to chromium (VI) using cerium (IV) enables the determination of total chromium and subsequently the chromium (III) in solution. Evaluation of the method with a standard reference material produced only 4.81 part per thousand error in the determination of chromium(VI).