Abstract: A new method for determining trace germanium was established based on the reaction of germanium with benzfluorenone forming fluorescent complex with the existence of glutin and hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide,the excitation and emission wavelengths of the complex are 428 and 491 nm respectively.Experimental results showed that the calibration graph is linear over the range of 0.1～0.7 μg/mL,the detection limit of germanium is 0.5 μg/mL.The method has been applied to determine the trace germanium in Lactuca sativa L.with satisfactory results.