New method for the determination of whole-blood iron and hemoglobin.

A rapid, simple, highly accurate procedure for the determination of hemoglobin iron is described. The use of a sodium hypochlorite solution achieves a smoother, faster, cleaner digestion of hemoglobin and release of the iron than the use of concentrated sulfuric acid and persulfate. The accuracy of the method is established by recovery experiments showing that a linear relation exists between the volume of a given hemoglobin solution analyzed and the total amount of iron released, as well as by the demonstration that a constant fixed ratio exists between hemoglobin iron and hemoglobin (as cyanmethemoglobin). The new method is easier to perform than the time-honored procedure of Wong.