Chemicals and laboratory equipment required for nutrient analysis in hydroponic solutions

We recommend titration for home analysis. This is by far the most cost-effective method and, for occasional tests, probably the most sensible one in terms of cost and effort.

Here you will find a summary of the chemicals and laboratory equipment you will need to analyze the respective components in your nutrient solutions. The articles on the respective tests, with a detailed procedure for each "substance" and a sample calculation, can be found in the Analysis section .

Chemicals reference : 

https://www.carlroth.com/de/de/massloesungen/massloesungen-utility-ready/c/web_folder_716991

https://www.laboratoriumdiscounter.nl/de/chemikalien/

Necessary material

Burette: 

25ml in increments from 0.1ml to 0.05ml, available from Amazon to Aliexpress for prices ranging from approximately €25 to €660. The price difference also lies in the quality.

Magnetic stirrer + magnetic stir bar. No heating is necessary for our analyses : 

Magnetic stirrers cost €30 to €300. You can also purchase them from lab supply retailers. These prices should be viewed with skepticism. They can exceed €1,000. Personally, I don't understand where the additional costs come from.

Erlenmeyer flask:

Approximately €5 to €50. The flask used for the analysis does not need to be heat-resistant (borosilicate glass/Pyrex), so you can also perform the titration in a drinking glass.

Necessary chemicals

Analysis of aluminum (Al)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L EDTA solution (C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈)
• Buffer solution (pH 5, acetate buffer)
• Xylenol orange (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of arsenic (As)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L iodine solution (I₂)
• 1 mol/L hydrochloric acid (HCl)
• 0.1 mol/L sodium thiosulfate solution (Na₂S₂O₃)
• Starch solution (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of Lead (Pb)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L EDTA solution (C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈)
• Acetic acid/acetate buffer solution (pH 5-6)
• Xylenol orange (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of boron (B)

Chemicals required:

• Sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 0.01 mol/L) – for the titration of boron.
• Mannitol – to form the boron-mannitol complex.
• Phenolphthalein – as an indicator for color detection.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of Calcium (Ca)

Chemicals required:

• EDTA (0.01 mol/L) – for titration of calcium.
• Eriochrome Black T – as an indicator for color recognition.
• Ammonia buffer solution (pH 10) – to stabilize the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of chlorine (Cl)

Chemicals required:

• Silver nitrate (AgNO₃, 0.01 mol/L) – for the precipitation of chloride as AgCl.
• Potassium chromate (K₂CrO₄) – as an indicator for Mohr titration.
• Nitric acid (HNO₃, 1 mol/L) – to control the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of iron (Fe)

Chemicals required:

• EDTA (0.01 mol/L) – for titration of iron.
• Xylenol orange – as an indicator for color recognition.
• Acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer solution (pH 5-6) – to control the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

 Analysis of Potassium (K)

Chemicals required:

• Sodium tetraphenylborate (Na[B(C₆H₅)₄]) – for the precipitation of potassium.
• Indicator (e.g. toluene extract) – for color detection.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of cobalt (Co) 

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L EDTA solution (C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈)
• Buffer solution (pH 10, NH₃/NH₄⁺ buffer)
• Eriochrome Black-T (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of Copper (Cu)

Chemicals required:

• EDTA (0.01 mol/L) – for titration of copper.
• Indicator (e.g. Eriochrome Black T) – for color recognition.
• Ammonia buffer solution (pH 10) – to stabilize the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of lithium (Li)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L ammonium tetraphenylborate solution (NH₄BPh₄)
• Ethanol-water mixture as solvent
• Phenolphthalein as a turbidity indicator

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of magnesium (Mg)

Chemicals required:

• EDTA (0.01 mol/L) – for titration of magnesium.
• Indicator (e.g. Eriochrome Black T) – for color recognition.
• Ammonia buffer solution (pH 10) – to stabilize the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of manganese (Mn)

Chemicals required:

• Potassium permanganate (KMnO₄, 0.01 mol/L) – for the titration of manganese.
• Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, 1 mol/L) – for dissolving manganese compounds.
• Indicator (e.g. Murexide) – for color detection.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of molybdenum (Mo)

Chemicals required:

• Iron(II) sulfate (FeSO₄, 0.01 mol/L) – for the titration of molybdenum.
• Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, 1 mol/L) – to control the pH value.
• Distilled water – for dilution.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of nickel (Ni)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L EDTA solution (C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈)
• Buffer solution (pH 9-10, NH₃/NH₄⁺ buffer)
• Murexide (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of phosphorus (P)

Chemicals required:

• Lanthanum(III) chloride (LaCl₃, 0.01 mol/L) – for the titration of phosphate.
• Nitric acid (HNO₃, 1 mol/L) – to control the pH value.
• Sodium rhodizonate – as an indicator for color detection.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of sulfur (S)

Chemicals required:

• Barium sulfate solution (BaSO₄) – for precipitating the sulfur.
• Diluted HCl – for acid adjustment.
• Indicator (e.g. methyl orange) – for color detection during titrations.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of nitrogen (N)

Chemicals required:

• Formaldehyde (37% solution) – for complex formation with ammonium.
• HCl (0.01 mol/L) – for back titration.
• Indicator (e.g. Thoron) – for color detection of the endpoint.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of mercury (Hg)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L dithizone solution (C₁₃H₁₂N₄S)
• Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄, diluted)
• Chloroform (CHCl₃, for extraction)
• Buffer solution (pH 4-5)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of silicon (Si)

Chemicals required:

• 0.01 mol/L sodium fluoride (NaF) solution
• 0.01 mol/L lanthanum (III) chloride (LaCl₃) solution
• Buffer solution (pH 3, acetic acid/sodium acetate buffer)
• Alizarin complexone (indicator)

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

Analysis of zinc (Zn)

Chemicals required:

• EDTA (0.01 mol/L) – for titration of zinc.
• Indicator (e.g. Eriochrome Black T) – for color recognition.
• Ammonia buffer solution (pH 10) – to stabilize the pH value.

Required laboratory equipment:

• burette
• Erlenmeyer flask
• pipette
• Magnetic stirrer

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