Ideal for low- to medium-range colorimetric analysis of water quality

• Analysis Time: Soluble 1 minute; Total 5 minutes

The soluble iron content of surface waters rarely exceeds 1 mg/L, while ground waters often contain higher concentrations. The National Secondary Drinking Water Standard for iron is 0.3 mg/L, as iron concentrations in excess of 0.3 mg/L impart a foul taste and cause staining. High concentrations in surface waters can indicate the presence of industrial effluents or runoff.

Phenanthroline method: Ferrous iron reacts with 1,10-phenanthroline to form an orange-colored chelate. To determine total iron, thioglycolic acid solution is added to reduce ferric iron to the ferrous state. The reagent formulation minimizes interferences from various metals. Results are expressed as ppm (mg/L) Fe.