Summary: | In the present study we report the development of an advantageous optical sensor for the speciation of Fe(III)/Fe(II). The sensor is based on the selective reaction of Fe(III) with a Desferal (Deferoxamine) reagent at pH = 2, while both Fe(III) and Fe(II) react with the reagent at pH = 5 using an acetate/glycine buffer. In this way, frequently used extra oxidation (H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub>) or reduction (ascorbic acid or hydroxylamine) steps are avoided. Both species can be determined in the range of 25 to 150 μM using a 96-well plate platform and the instrument-free detection of the colored complex with an overhead book scanner. The LOD is 4 μM, and an additional advantage is that a single calibration curve can be utilized for quantitation. The applicability of the sensor was demonstrated by analyzing commercially available pharmaceutical formulations for quality control purposes.
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