Spectrophotometric determination of trace nitrite based on catalytic oxidation of thionine by potassium bromate

A kinetic method for the determination of trace nitrite (7 × 10^?9–1.2 × 10^?6 M) based on its catalytic effect on the reaction between potassium bromate and thionine in strongly acidic media is reported. The reaction is monitored spectrophotometrically by measuring the decreasing colour of thionine at 602 nm by the fixed-time method. At a given time of 5 min at 30°C, the detection limit is 2 × 10^?9 M (0.001 absorbance ratio, b = 1 cm) and the relative standard deviation for 1 × 10^?6 M nitrite is 2.6% (n = 6). The method is free from most interferences, especially from large amounts of nitrate. The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of trace nitrite in natural water and sausage samples without preconcentration and separation.