An indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of small amounts of chloride in fresh waters is described. Chloride ions react with mercury(II) thiocyanate to liberate thiocyanate ions, which can be selectively extracted into nitrobenzene with tris(1,10-phenanthroline)iron(II) chelate cations. The red color (516 nm) of the organic phase measured against a reagent blank is proportional to the initial concentration of chloride ions in the aqueous phase. At least an equimolar amount of tris(1,10-phenanthroline)iron(II) chelate and a 3-fold amount of mercury(II) thiocyanate are needed; the optimal pH range is 1.5–3.5. Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.8–5.6 ⋯10 -5 M of chloride. The color stability and the apparent sensitivity are better than those of the mercury(II) thiocyanate-iron(III) method. Large amounts of sulphate, phosphate, fluoride, carbonate, acetate, potassium, sodium, and ammonium ions had negligible or no effect ; bromide, iodide, cyanide, sulphide, and thiocyanate interfere.