Conclusions
All modifiactions of the ferric thiocyanate method investigated were affected by atmospheric oxygen. However, the interference in the Hills and Thiel (7) method and the Bolland (3) procedure was not as great as in the Lips, Chapman, and McFarlane (5) method. The results of Lea (8) were confirmed in respect to the lower values obtained when the atmosphere was rigorously excluded. Minimal results by the ferric thiocyanate procedure were possible only when carefully purified nitrogen was employed, and all possible precautions to prevent contact with air were observed. No other satisfactory method for offsetting this interference was found.
When the ferric thiocyanate procedures are conducted in the presence of air, the results, while high, are proportional to the iodimetric values. The former method, however, is much more sensitive than iodimetric procedures. Therefore under conditions where only comparative results are desired, such as in the assessment of the activity of antioxidants or in accelerated tests to predict the stability of a fat or oil, the ferric thiocyanate method should prove of considerable value. The Hills and Thiel (7) method was found to be the most satisfactory of those investigated since the use of benzene‐methanol as a solvent permits the use of larger samples and the reagents are considerably more stable than in other methods.