DETERMINATION OF IRON IN LIMONITE


PROCEDURE.--Grind the mineral (Note 1) to a fine powder. Weigh out
accurately two portions of about 0.5 gram (Note 2) into porcelain
crucibles; heat these crucibles to dull redness for ten minutes,
allow them to cool, and place them, with their contents, in beakers
containing 30 cc. of dilute hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.12). Heat
at a temperature just below boiling until the undissolved residue is
white or until solvent action has ceased. If the residue is white,
or known to be free from iron, it may be neglected and need not be
removed by filtration. If a dark residue remains, collect it on a
filter, wash free from hydrochloric acid, and ignite the filter in a
platinum crucible (Note 3). Mix the ash with five times its weight of
sodium carbonate and heat to fusion; cool, and disintegrate the fused
mass with boiling water in the crucible. Unite this solution and
precipitate (if any) with the acid solution, taking care to avoid loss
by effervescence. Wash out the crucible, heat the acid solution
to boiling, add stannous chloride solution until it is colorless,
avoiding a large excess (Note 4); cool, and when !cold!, add 40 cc. of
mercuric chloride solution, dilute to 200 cc., and proceed with the
titration as already described.

From the standardization data already obtained, and the known weight
of the sample, calculate the percentage of iron (Fe) in the limonite.

[Note 1: Limonite is selected as a representative of iron ores in
general. It is a native, hydrated oxide of iron. It frequently occurs