Spectrofluorimetric determination of iron(III) with 2-pyridinecarbaldhyde-5-nitro-pyridylhydrazone in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant.

2-pyridinecarbaldehyde-5-nitro-pyridylhydrazone (2PC-5NPH) was synthesized and its application in the spectrofluorimetric determination of Fe(III) ions in the presence of surfactants was examined. An emission peak of 2PC-5NPH, which increased remarkably by the addition of Fe(III), occurs at 420 nm upon excitation at 300 nm, and allows for the sensitive, selective determination of the ferric ion in the 0.20-1.45 mug ml(-1) range. The detection limit is 0.028 mug ml(-1) in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB).