Spectrophotometric determination of Fe(III) in alkaline solutions without neutralization

Spectrometric study on the complexation of Fe(III) with an organic reagent obtained by coupling 3-methyl-1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone with diazotized 3-hydroxy-4-amino-benzene sulphonic acid was carried out in alkaline solutions. A 1:2 Fe(III): reagent water soluble complex is formed. The optimum pH is 9.0-11.8. The maximum absorbance of the complex lies at lambda = 560 nm, where the absorbance of the reagent is low. The molar absorptivity is 9000 l.mole(-1).cm(-1) at pH = 11.6. The value of the stability constant determined at 20 +/- 1 degrees C, pH = 11.6 and lambda = 560 nm is 4 x 10(5)M. The Beer-Lambert law is followed for iron concentration in the 0.2-5.0 mug/ml range. The spectrophotometric method was tested on synthetic solutions and thus applied for determination of traces of Fe(III) in several samples of alkaline hydroxides and carbonates without the neutralization of the solutions.