The Determination of Iron in an Iron Tablet

Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy and

an Oxidation-Reduction Titration
Lab 10
Tia Silivelio; Christian Wheeler; David Morales; Franica
Brown
13 March 2020
 Introduction

Today’s lab was a collaborative effort to calculate the actual iron content of iron tablets
using two different methods: atomic absorption spectroscopy and an oxidation-reduction
titration.

The atomic absorption spectroscopy is the analysis of the excitation, and subsequent
emission, of ground-state electrons of atoms to produce visible light that is quantified to
determine the percent abundance of a certain element in a solution. The atoms are
irradiated by light with a wavelength corresponding to its emission spectra, causing the
atoms to absorb energy and propel its electrons to an excited state, creating an
absorption spectrum in the process. The amount of light absorbed from the light path is
directly proportional to the number of atoms of the element that are in the light path,
therefore the percentage of that element can be calculated.

Titration by oxidation-reduction using potassium permanganate involves the analysis of

the amount of a solute added to a solution to cause either an oxidation or reduction of
the solution, and based on the balanced chemical equation, use stoichiometry to
determine the molar mass, therefore percent concentration, of the produced element.
 Data Summary

Average Mass Fe Per Mass of 2 Fe tablets for Mass of 2 Crushed Tablets

Tablet from Titration AAS for AAS

67 ± 1 mg 0.8213 g 0.8128 g

% of Fe in tablet % Difference % of Fe in Tablet % Difference

from AAS between Fe in from Titration between Fe in
tablet and the label Tablet

15.79 0.2% 16.3% 3.1%

Results Discussion
The first method for determining iron content involved atomic absorption spectroscopy.
The results were a calculated percentage of 15.79 %, and when compared to the
percent Fe from the tablet label of 15.99%, corresponds to a 0.2% difference. The
advantages of this method are utilizing the sophisticated machinery, we can record
accurate measurements and set a calibrated rate of light to collide with the iron atoms to
produce an accurate emission spectrum. The disadvantages of this method are that the
equipment is bulky and can only be done in a properly equipped laboratory, the process
involves the evaluation of a liquid in an open container, leaving the sample susceptible
to contaminants from the atmosphere and human error. The liquid, depending on the
solution, may be prone to evaporation, skewing results. To combat this, the Atomic
Absorption team used clean, closed containers to house the samples and transport
them to the spectrometer, as well as controlling the temperature of the room and using
a trained lab tech to handle the sample and operate the device.

The average milligrams of iron per tablet found using the titration method was 67 ± 1 mg
with a percent error of 3.1%. When using titration analysis, it can be difficult to obtain an
accurate volume reading for potassium permanganate in the buret due to the color of
the solution. This was one of the disadvantages to using this method as it produced
inaccurate values for the initial and final volumes.

To compare the two methods, we analyze both their accuracy and precision. Accuracy,
or how close either method got to the given value for Fe per tablet, for either method is
based on the percent difference of calculated percent Fe from the percent Fe given from
the label of the tablet bottle. The AAS method yielded a difference of .2 percent while
the titration method produced a difference of 3.1 percent-the AAS method was by far
more accurate. Precision, the measure of how consistent measurements of a given
method are with each trial, is based on how the readings of each method varied. Three
samples were taken and titrated to produce a standard deviation of 1 mg. For the AAS,
while only one iron sample was used, the data was plotted using LoggerPro and by
finding the Regression Analysis Equation, a calculated RMSE-root mean square error-of
.002608 was produced. Comparing the two, it stands to reason that the AAS method is
also the more precise process for the determination of percent Fe in a tablet.