Quantitative Analysis of Nitrate and Nitrite in Water Samples using UV-1900i

User Benefits

・UV-1900i with CHEMetrics test kit enables easy and accurate measurement of nitrate-nitrogen and nitrite-nitrogen with simple sample preparation. ・Nitrate-nitrogen and nitrite-nitrogen concentration can be calculated directly using “Advanced Formula” of photometric function in LabSolutionsTM UV-Vis.

Introduction

Nitrate (NOM₃) and nitrite (NO₂) are two water-soluble nitrogen compounds that occur naturally in the environment. Nitrate is used mainly in inorganic fertilizers as it is essential for plant growth. Nitrite is used for food preservation, such as meat curing due to its antimicrobial effect against pathogenic bacteria. The concentration of nitrate and nitrite in environmental water such as groundwater and surface water are usually low. However, accumulation of nitrate and nitrite may occur due to several reasons, such as agricultural run-off and contamination from human or animal wastes. This can lead to potential health risks and negatively affect the environment. For example, excessive nitrate in drinking water could lead to a temporary blood disorder in infants known as blue baby syndrome. Thus, it is important to monitor the level of nitrate and nitrite in various water sources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has fixed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃–N) and 1 mg/L nitrite-nitrogen (NO₂–N) in drinking water. There are different analytical methods that can be used to measure nitrate and nitrite in water, and one of them is a colorimetric method using a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Although it is a simple and convenient method, it involves tedious reagent preparations which is time-consuming. This can be overcome using a pre-formulated reagent pack or kit. This application news introduces the quantitative analysis of NO₃–N and NO₂–N in various water samples using Shimadzu’s UV-1900i with CHEMetrics Vacu-vials kit, based on the American Public Health Association (APHA) Standard Method respectively.

May 14, 2023 GMT