A2 Experiment 14.

4(8) THE ANALYSIS OF IRON TABLETS

INTRODUCTION Iron is an essential element for the human body. Its principal role is as a component of haemoglobin, the agent responsible for oxygen transport in the blood. Iron is also present in a number of enzymes and co-enzymes involved in redox processes in the body. Healthy adult males need little iron in their diet, but some sections of the population need substantial amounts to produce extra haemoglobin, e.g., growing children and pregnant women or people who have lost a lot of blood for various reasons. Foods like liver, kidney, spinach and egg yolk are rich in iron, but sometimes it is necessary to supplement the diet with iron tablets. These are available from the pharmacist and usually contain iron (II) sulphate (ferrous sulphate) which is a cheap and soluble form of iron. The aim of this practical is to attempt to find the mass of iron (II) sulphate in the tablets and compare it with the value stated on the bottle or packet by the manufacturer. Assuming that all the iron in the tablets is in the form of Fe2+ ions, it is possible to estimate the iron content by titration with standard potassium dichromate (VI) solution. The half equations are:Fe2+ (aq) Fe3+ (aq) + e 2Cr3+ (aq) + 7H2O (l) Cr2O72- (aq) + 14H+ (aq) + 6e -

Acidified potassium dichromate is orange colour and the Cr3+ ions formed in the titration are green, making the end-point difficult to see. To overcome this an indicator is used; sodium diphenylamine-4-sulphonate and the colour change is from pale green to purple.

METHOD 1) Weigh accurately 6 iron tablets, then grind them in a pestle and mortar. 2) Transfer the solid to a 250cm3 beaker, rinsing both mortar and pestle with distilled water from a wash bottle to ensure that all the solid from the tablets enters the beaker. 3) Add about 100cm3 of 1M sulphuric acid to the beaker. (Use the markings on the beaker.) 4) Warm the beaker and its contents VERY GENTLY on a tripod and gauze to help the iron tablets to dissolve. The outer coating will not dissolve and a whitish suspension will form. 5) Filter the mixture using a Bchner flask and pump. Carefully wash the beaker and stirring rod and pour the washings through the filter too. Finally, wash the residue and filter paper with distilled water, allowing all the solution to pass into the Bchner flask. 6) Transfer the solution from the Bchner flask quantitatively into a 250cm3 SVF. Make up to the mark with distilled water, stopper and shake the flask to mix the contents. 7) Rinse a burette with distilled water and then with a little of the 0.01M K2Cr2O7 solution. Fill the burette with the K2Cr2O7 solution, making sure there are no air bubbles in the jet and the funnel has been removed. 8) Using a pipette and safety filler, transfer 25cm3 of the iron tablet solution to a 250cm3 conical flask. Add a further 25cm3 of 1M sulphuric acid to the flask. 9) Titrate the solution in the flask with the K2Cr2O7 solution from the burette until 1 drop changes the colour from pale green to purple. Repeat until two results are concordant.

A2 Experiment 14.4(8)
RESULTS Mass of 6 iron tablets = . Grams

Titration Final burette reading (cm3) Final burette reading (cm3) Volume of 0.01M K2Cr2O7 used (cm3)

Rough

Accurate Titrations 2 3

Average Titre (cm3)

CALCULATIONS 1) Use the half equations on page 1 to write a balanced ionic equation for the oxidation of Fe2+ ions by dichromate (VI) ions in acid conditions. 2) Calculate the number of moles of Cr2O72- ions in your titre. 3) Hence calculate the number of moles of Fe2+ ions in the titration flask. 4) Now calculate the total number of moles of Fe2+ ion in the 250cm3 SVF. 5) Assuming that all the iron in the tablets was present as iron (II) sulphate, FeSO4, calculate the mass of iron (II) sulphate a) in the 6 tablets dissolved b) in 1 tablet .. ..

(Ar values are: Fe = 55.8, S = 32.1, O = 16.0) 6) The manufacturer states that each tablet contains 200mg of iron (II) sulphate. Work out the percentage experimental error in your result.

A2 Experiment 14.4(8)
7) Use the following individual apparatus errors to estimate the total minimum % error in your result.

250cm3 SVF 25cm3 pipette Burette 0.01M K2Cr2O7 solution

0.5cm3 0.05cm3 0.15cm3 0.0001M

% % % %

TOTAL = % 8) Quote your final figure for the mass of FeSO4 per tablet in the form y x mg 9) Compare your value and its apparatus error with the experimental error calculated in question 6 and comment on it. (Is your value high or low? Does the manufacturers value lie within your apparatus error or not?) 10) From your knowledge of the redox chemistry of iron, why does the method tell you to a) dissolve the tablets in dilute sulphuric acid, rather than water? b) only warm the mixture very gently to dissolve the tablets? 11) Suggest reasons for the discrepancy between your result and the value quoted by the manufacturer. 12) From the mass of tablets recorded at the start, calculate the % by mass of FeSO4 in each tablet, using the 200mg quoted by the manufacturer. What else is present in the tablets? % by mass of FeSO4 in tablets = ..