Spectrofluorimetric determination of iron(III) with 2-pyridinecarbaldhyde-5-nitro-pyridylhydrazone in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide surfactant

2-pyridinecarbaldehyde-5-nitro-pyridylhydrazone (2PC-5NPH) was synthesized and its application in the spec trofluorimetric determination of Fe(III) ions in the presence of surfactants was examined. An emission peak of 2PC-5NPH, which increased remarkably by the addition ofFe(III), occurs at 420 nm upon excitation at 300 nm, and allows for the sensitive, selective determination of the ferric ionin the 0.20-1.45 mu g ml(-1) range. The detection limit is 0.028 mu g ml(-1) in the presence of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB).