The symmetric derivatives of pyridoxal with thiocarbohydrazide and carbohydrazide, and the asymmetric derivatives of pyridoxal and salicylaldehyde with the same hydrazides have been synthesized and their analytical potential for spectrophotometric and kinetic fluorimetric determination of metal ions was studied. Gallium(III) and PyMAU(1,3-bis{[4-(2-methyl-3-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl)pyridyl]methyleneaminourea at pH = 4.2 form a complex with a single absorption maximum at 425 nm, which can be extracted into cyclohexanone in the presence of a controlled amount of sodium perchlorate. The extract has maximum absorbance at 435 nm. Both systems can be used for determining gallium. The optimal range of gallium concentration for measurement in a 1-cm cell is 0.5-1.25 gmg/ml for the procedure in homogeneous medium ((425) = 3.76 x 10(4).mole(-1).cm(-1)) and 0.25-1.25 mug/ml for the extraction procedure ((435) = 5.30 x 10(4) 1.mole(-1).cm(-1). The latter procedure has been applied to the determination of gallium in alloys and fly-ash.