Calculate Ferrous Gluconate

hawkinsrgk · Sep 18, 2015

I am having trouble figuring out how to calculate this.

I have 27mg total Iron Ferrous Gluconate pills and would like to know how to calculate how many pills would need to be added to 1 liter of water to make a 4000 ppm solution.

Thank you for your help
Randy

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 18, 2015

I'm not sure you can make it that concentrated, but here's how to try.

4000 ppm is 4000 mg/L = 4 mg/mL

27 mg in 6.75 ml is 27 mg/6.75 mL = 4 mg/mL

So dissolve 1 tablet in 4 ml of RO/Di, let the solids settle out, and use the clear liquid remaining.

I usually recommend dissolving the tablet in 20-50 mL by soaking overnight, shake briefly, let the solids settle out, and use the clear liquid remaining. .

hawkinsrgk · Sep 18, 2015

Thanks for the reply.

I got the 4000ppm from the current company that I am using for Iron

Guaranteed Analysis
0-0-0
Iron (Fe) (min) 0.40% Chelated Iron (118 mg/oz.; 4,000 ppm)
Ingredients
Purified water, Sodium feredetate

I am dosing approximately 15 to 20 ml a couple times a week and was hoping I could keep to the same dosing schedule.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 19, 2015

hawkinsrgk said:
Thanks for the reply.

I got the 4000ppm from the current company that I am using for Iron

Guaranteed Analysis
0-0-0
Iron (Fe) (min) 0.40% Chelated Iron (118 mg/oz.; 4,000 ppm)
Ingredients
Purified water, Sodium feredetate

I am dosing approximately 15 to 20 ml a couple times a week and was hoping I could keep to the same dosing schedule.

OK, but not all iron salts are equally soluble, and it may be hard to tell if the iron fully dissolves if you are using a source like Fergon tablets due to other solids already present that won't dissolve.

hawkinsrgk · Sep 19, 2015

That makes since. Thank you for the help. As a test I put 10 tablets in 200 ml of water and letting it dissolve now. Can you tell me how much of that solution would be needed to bring 400 gallons of water to .05 ppm iron?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 19, 2015

That seems pretty high to me. I add 25-50 times less with each dose.

That said, that solution will be 1350 ppm. So you need to add 1/27,000 (1350/0.05 = 27,000) of the water volume, or 56 mL.