Spectrophotometric study of the reaction of iron(iii) with methylthymol blue

The reaction between iron(III) and Methylthymol Blue (MTB or H(6)A) has been investigated by spectrophotometry. It has been established that iron(III) and MTB form two complexes with compositions iron(III): MTB = 1:1 and 1:2. The 1:1 complex is stable in acidic medium containing excess of iron, and the 1:2 complex is stable in slightly acidic or alkaline media containing excess of MTB. The absorption maxima are at 610 mmu (1:1) and 515 mmu (1:2), the molar absorptivities being 1.73 +/- 0.01 x 10(4) and 3.21 +/- 0.05 x 10(3) respectively. The nature of the two complexes at pH 6 and the stability constants have been determined: log beta(11) = 20.56 +/- 0.07, log beta(112) = 43.29 +/- 0.09, log beta(12) = 6.66 +/- 0.05.