Cost-effective flow injection spectrophotometric assay of iron content in pharmaceutical preparations using salicylate reagent.

A new flow injection procedure for an assay of Fe(III) by using salicylate obtained from antipyretic powder, which is a cheap and easily available reagent, is proposed. A red complex was continuously monitored by a laboratory-made green LED colorimeter. A linear calibration was obtained in the range of 1-20mgFel(-1) with a detection limit of 0.5mgFel(-1) and R.S.D.s of 1.4-5.4% (n=3, for 1-20mgFel(-1)). The new procedure was applied to assay iron contents in pharmaceutical preparations. The results were in good agreement with those of the USP standard method.