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Cetyldimethylethylammonium bromide, a cationic surfactant has been used to decolorize eriochromeazurol B, an anionic triphenylmethane type of dye. Addition of specific lanthanide metal ion to this decolorized solution resulted into intense colored stable ternary complex with large bathochromic shift from 540 nm (binary complex) to 650 nm (ternary complex) with increase in absorbance values at shifted wavelength. CDMEAB thus decreases the color intensity of ECAB and increases the absorbance value of ternary complexes. This two fold advantage resulted into enhancement in molar absorptivities and sensitivities at shifted wavelength of ternary complexes with stoichiometric composition 1:(1:3)₂, [Ln : (R:S)] for all lanthanides understudy namely yttrium, neodymium, europium, terbium and ytterbium. The ternary complexes at pH 6.0 exhibited absorption maxima at 650 nm with molar absorptivities 69000 L.mol …