Utilizing the adhesion of a precipitate of ammonium phosphomolybdate onto a piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC), phosphate ions in water could be determined as a frequency change of the PQC. The precipitate was formed in the tubing of the flow system by a precipitation reaction between phosphate and hexaammonium heptamolybdate ions, and adhered onto the PQC. The adhesion of the precipitate was largely dependent on a surface condition of the PQC. That is, the adhesion proceeded smoothly with time on a surface pretreated by coating with the precipitate of ammonium phosphomolybdate, although not smoothly on a clean surface. In order to obtain optimal conditions for the determination of phosphate ions, the effects of the composition, acid concentration and flow rate of the carrier solution, and the length of the reaction coil on the frequency change were examined by using a PQC pretreated by coating with the precipitate. Under the optimal conditions, the frequency change was proportional to the concentration of phosphate ions to 30 µmol dm 3. Phosphate ions in river and lake water samples were actually determined by the proposed method using a PQC. Results for the determination by the standard addition method were in fairly good agreement with those determined by spectrophotometry, i .e. a molybdenum-blue method. It is therefore suggested that the proposed method is applicable to the determination of phosphate ions in natural water.