Finding amount of iron from absorbance

  • Thread starter Thread starter Puchinita5
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Absorbance Iron
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on determining the amount of iron in a vitamin tablet using absorbance measurements and a calibration curve. The initial calculation suggested a concentration of 3.20 ppm, which was later corrected to 0.320 g/L or 3.20 mg/L of Fe3+. The participant clarified their dilution steps and recalculated the final amount of iron, arriving at approximately 64 mg, which aligns with commercial vitamin products. The key takeaway is the importance of unit conversion and accurate dilution calculations in quantitative analysis.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of absorbance and calibration curves in spectrophotometry
  • Knowledge of dilution calculations and concentration conversions
  • Familiarity with the molar mass of iron (Fe) and its compounds
  • Basic laboratory techniques for sample preparation and analysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the principles of spectrophotometry and how to construct calibration curves
  • Study dilution techniques and concentration calculations in analytical chemistry
  • Learn about the molar mass and stoichiometry of common elements and compounds
  • Explore common laboratory practices for preparing and analyzing vitamin samples
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, laboratory technicians, and anyone involved in quantitative analysis of nutritional supplements or pharmaceuticals.

Puchinita5
Messages
178
Reaction score
0
So I had a lab where we are supposed to determine the amount of iron present in a vitamin.

I have a calibration curve already constructed, and it is telling me that the concentration of the iron is about 3.20 ppm.

The vitamin was boiled with acid, filtered, and diluted to 100mL.
Then, 5mL of this solution was diluted to 100mL.
Then, 10mL of this already diluted solution was diluted to 100mL (after being mixed with hyroquinone and o-phenanthroline to create a red complex)

So my question is, how to figure out how much iron was present with all these dilutions.

My guess is to say that

3.20 ppm *(1g/10^6 micro g) * (1000 mL/ L) *(1 mol Fe / 55.8 g Fe) = 5.7 x 10^-5 M (molarity)

and then

5.7 x 10^-5 M * (100 mL / 10 mL) * (100 mL / 5mL) * 100mL = 1.15 mol Fe = 64 g of Fe.

But to me this seems like a lot of iron to be present in one tiny tablet.

What am I doing wrong? Or is this right?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
3.20 ppm of Fe3+ = 320mg/L Fe3+ = 0.320g/L Fe3+ (divide by molar mass)

(0.320g/L)/(55.84g/mol) = 0.0057 mol/L -------> 5.7 * 10^-3 Molar Fe3+ ...(are you doing your math correctly?)
 
I think 3.20 ppm is = to 3.20 mg/L not 320 mg/L .

I did notice that in my second step, I was multiplying by 100 mL instead of .1 L so the units were off. So I think it should be

5.7 x 10^-5 M * (100 mL / 10 mL) * (100 mL / 5mL) * (.100 L) = .001146 mol Fe = 64 mg of Fe.

I think this sounds more reasonable? And I just tried googling it and I found a vitamin on the market that has 65 mg of iron in it (and looks like the pill I used in the experiment). So I'm thinking that maybe this is correct.
 
I got 64 mg as well, but as I didn't bothered to use paper/calculator I could make some mistake. But it is unlikely that we both made the same mistake - so 64 mg looks quite probable.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
13K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
39K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
12K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
4K