Merck, 1.18387, Nitrate Test

General description
Method: colorimetric with color-disk comparator 5 - 10 - 20 - 30 - 40 - 50 - 60 - 70 - 90 mg/l NO₃⁻ MQuant®
Nitrate is naturally present in soil, water and food, and regularly testing its concentration is essential for many applications. With the MQuant® Nitrate test (formally MColortest®) Nitrates can be closely monitored in:
Groundwater, drinking water, and surface water
Spring water and well water
Mineral water
Waters from aquaculture
Wastewater and industrial water
Nutrient solutions for fertilization
Food and beverages after appropriate sample pretreatment
Soils after appropriate sample pretreatment
Swimming-pool water
This test is not suited for seawater.

Method
In concentrated sulfuric acid nitrate ions react with a benzoic acid derivative to form a red nitro compound. The nitrate concentration is measured semiquantitatively by visual comparison of the color of the measurement solution with the color fields of a color disk. The test evaluates the color reaction based on the transmitted light method. So even turbid and colored water samples can be analyzed without further preparation.
The color disk is made of very durable, lightfast plastic, thus suitable for industrial areas and wet environments.
Using the refill pack 1.18462 containing all the reagents, the original test kit can be used for a very long time, making it a particularly economical and ecological system.
Application

Soil-test N recommendations augmented with PEST-optimized RZWQM simulations.: This research discusses the use of soil nitrate tests in conjunction with simulation models to optimize nitrogen recommendations for crops, enhancing environmental quality by reducing excess nitrogen use (Malone et al., 2010).

Using the late spring nitrate test to reduce nitrate loss within a watershed.: The study focuses on the application of late spring nitrate tests to manage and reduce nitrate leaching in agricultural settings, contributing to improved watershed management (Jaynes et al., 2004).

Legal Information
MCOLORTEST is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
MQUANT is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany