Determination of ozone in water by the indigo method

Abstract

The concentration of aqueous ozone can best be determined by the decolorization of indigo trisulfonate (600 nm, pH below 4) whenever the ozone cannot be measured directly by its u.v. absorption. The method is stoichiometric and extremely fast. The change of absorbance vs ozone added is −2.0 ± 0.1 × 10 4 M −1 cm −1 and is independent of the concentration of aqueous ozone in the range 0.005–30 mg 1 −1. The precision of the analysis is 2% or 3 μg 1 −1 for low concentrations if a spectrophotometer or a good filter instrument is used. Visual methods can be used to measure 0.01 mgl −1 ozone. Secondary oxidants produced by ozone in natural water, including hydrogen peroxide or chlorite, do not interfere; chlorine can be masked. The reagent solution is stable for 3 months. The method is recommended for kinetic measurements, for studies of ozonation processes and for visual field methods.