The spectrophotometric determination of chromium in ilmenite

A new diphenylcarbazide procedure free from iron interference is described for the determination of chromium in low-chrome ilmenite. After fusion of the sample, chromium is oxidised with permanganate and most of the iron is eliminated by extraction of chromium(VI) with MIBK Residual iron causes fading of the final colour, this can be avoided by using a phosphoric acid medium at temperatures below 15°. When iron levels are less than 200 μg, temperature control (10°) suffices to prevent iron interference if the concentration of the usual sulphuric acid medium is increased to 0.2 M. However, the phosphoric acid-low temperature method gives wider tolerance to acidity variations and maximum stability with time.