Step-Up Year 1 Practical Laboratory Session: Iron Analysis

Iron (Fe) Iron is vital for a number of physiological processes  Occurs naturally in food sources  Also occurs naturally in our water

Iron in our water  Should we be concerned?  Iron in water is found in two forms: - Ferrous (Fe 2+ ) - Ferric (Fe 3+ ) Fe 3 + 3H 2 O  Fe(OH) 3 + 3H +

Iron in our water  A range of solutions from no iron to high iron content  Ferrous iron in water has added to it thiocyanate (SCN) Fe(SCN)(H 2 0) 5 ] 2+

Iron in our water  How do we decide what should be classed as ‘low’ or ‘high’ iron content?  Calibration Curve – our baseline to compare against

Iron Analysis  Using a Spectrophotometer at a wavelength 490nm to measure Absorbance (nm)  Using the calibration curve, we can determine unknown Iron Concentrations

Before you start  Read the protocol thoroughly Always read the protocol before you start and follow H&S  Remember Beer-Lambert Law Absorbance = ε.c.l where ε = constant c = concentration l = path length through solution