An automatic absorptiometric method for the determination of nitrate

A method has been developed for the determination of nitrate with the Technicon Autoanalyser in the range 2–10 p.p.m. The method depends on the reduction of nitrate to nitrite by hydrazine in alkaline solution, with copper as a catalyst. The nitrite produced diazotises sulphanilamide and the product is coupled with N-(1-naphthyl) ethylenediamine, to give a red dye, the absorbance of which is measured at 550 mμ. A relative standard deviation of 3–4% is obtained.