A reliable and effective method for the determination of trace molybdenum in effluents is proposed. Molybdenum (VI) is analyzed by Microwave Plasma Torch Optical Emission Spectrometry (MPT-OES) based on the adsorption collection onto microcrystalline anthracene modified with 8-hydroxyquinoline. The possible reaction mechanism was discussed in detail and the optimum conditions for adsorption of Mo (VI) were confirmed. The experimental data were fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model at all studied temperatures. The calculated thermodynamic parameters (ΔG Ө , ΔH Ө and ΔS Ө ) showed that the adsorption of molybdenum onto microcrystalline anthracene was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic at 280–320K. The recovery of this method is in the range of 96.5%–103.3% with preconcentration factor of 100 and the limit detection after preconcentration is 0.078μgL −1 . The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of trace Mo (VI) in environmental water samples with satisfactory results.