ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Determination of nitrites by the formation of bisazo dye

B. P. Dayananda and H. D. Revanasiddappa

Department of Chemistry, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore, 570 006, India

E-mail: hdrevanasiddappa@yahoo.com

Received: 15 December 2006  Revised: 15 June 2007  Accepted: 22 June 2007

Abstract: A facile, sensitive and rapid spectrophotometric method for the determination of nitrite is presented. The method involves the reaction of nitrite with 4-aminoazobenzene under acidic conditions in the presence of a bromide ion allowing to complete the diazotization reaction almost instantaneously. The formed diazonium ion is then coupled with acetyl acetone to give bisazo dye in an aqueous alkaline medium having maximum absorption at 500 nm. The molar absorptivity and Sandell’s sensitivity of the method were found to be 4.2 × 10⁴ dm³ mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and 1.1 ng cm⁻², respectively. The system obeys the Beer’s law within the concentration range of 0.1–9 µg of nitrite in the final sample volume of 10 cm³. Optimum reaction conditions were evaluated and the influence of ionic interference on the determination of nitrite has been studied. The developed method has been applied in the determination of nitrite in water and soil samples, and the results were statistically evaluated.

Keywords: spectrophotometry - nitrite determination - diazotization - bisazo dye

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-007-0060-1

Chemical Papers 61 (6) 446–451 (2007)