Iron in Cereal: Quantitation Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy with Standard Addition

TCE

The Chemical Educator

ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)

Table of Contents

Abstract Volume 14 Issue 2 (2009) pp 64-65

Iron in Cereal: Quantitation Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy with Standard Addition

James Gordon,* Taylor Cunningham, Lindsey Williams, and Christina Ogden

Division of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science, Central Methodist University, Fayette, MO 65248, jgordon@centralmethodist.edu
Received August 15, 2008. Accepted November 29, 2008.

Published online: 1 April 2009

Abstract. A long-standing demonstration in science classes is the extraction of reduced iron from breakfast cereal using a magnet. The purpose of this work was to determine if the iron could be completely removed from the cereal using only a magnet. Neodymium magnets were employed for the extraction and atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for the analysis of the samples. Experimental results indicated that the majority of the iron could be removed using only a magnet with an average percent recovery of 91 ± 4% (n = 7) for the most recent experimental results.

Key Words: Laboratories and Demonstrations; general chemistry; analytical chemistry; iron; inquiry-based / discovery learning; atomic spectroscopy; consumer chemistry; quantitative analysis

(*) Corresponding author. (E-mail: jgordon@centralmethodist.edu)

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