A method for the determination of trace amounts of La, Y and Eu, based on the formation of volatile chelates between rare earth elements and 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoyl-pyrazolone [5] (PMBP) in a graphite furnace, is described. PMBP was used as a chemical modifier for the volatilization of La, Y and Eu from the electrothermal vaporizer into the ICP. The factors affecting the chelating reaction between La, Y and Eu and PMBP were studied in detail, and the vaporization behavior of the chelates formed in the graphite furnace was also investigated. It was found that the presence of an excess of PMBP was necessary to prevent the thermal decomposition of the chelates during the volatilization and transportation processes. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection for La, Y and Eu are 8.0, 1.0 and 0.9 ng ml-1, respectively, and the relative standard deviations range from 3.3% (La) to 4.0% (Y). The linear ranges of the calibration graphs span three orders of magnitude. The method was applied to the analysis of an environmental reference material and the results obtained were in good agreement with the reference values.