By incorporation of synthesized magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs) coated with a new Schiff base into carbon paste electrode, a novel modified electrode was constructed for simultaneous determination of ultra trace amounts of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II). The complexation reaction of Schiff base with metal ions was studied spectrophotometrically. Under optimal conditions a detection limit of 0.20, 0.90 and 1.00 ng mL−1 for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II), respectively, was obtained. We take the advantages of the proposed method for simple, rapid, sensitive and selective simultaneous determination of trace amounts of hazardous Cd(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) in water and foodstuff samples.