Determination of ferrous ion in microsamples of hexagonal ferrites

Abstract

A sensitive and accurate method is described for determining microgram amounts of ferrous iron associated with a large excess of ferric iron and various bivalent cations, in hexagonal ferrites. Ferrous iron is complexed with bathophenanthroline, extracted into a chloroform-ethanol mixture and spectrophotometrically measured at 540 nm against a 1∶3 v/v chloroform-ethanol mixture. Ferric iron is masked with ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. The analytical conditions are stated for determination of iron(II) in both solvents used for ferrites, viz., hydrochloric and phosphoric acids. Cobalt, copper, and nickel do not interfere if the procedures suggested are used. Ferrous iron down to 0.02% can be determined in samples weighing only a few milligrams.