A rapid method for the determination of impurity elements, such as Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Cu, Cd and Pb in manganese tetroxide was developed, using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).The critical instrumental parameters such as sample flow rate and radio frequency incident power were thoroughly optimized.The effect of matrix was also examined.The sensitivity was investigated using calibrag 1 level were satisfactory and practically independent of the matrix used for the calibration standards.The recov eries of Pb and Zn were less sufficient.The method can be applied for routine analysis and quality control purposes at μg· g- 1 level of concentration.