The C-8012 Flat Phenols Comparator is a component of K-8012 and K-8020D phenols test kits. It is designed to be compared against the color formed in R-8012 Phenols CHEMets® Refill. The comparator’s range is applicable for many industrial water quality applications. The color standards contain pink-red dye mixtures that are formulated to match the colors produced by the test ampoules.

The Phenols CHEMets®1 test kit employs the 4-aminoantipyrine chemistry.2,3,4 In an alkaline solution, phenols react with 4-aminoantipyrine to produce a red colored complex. The color forming reaction is initiated by potassium ferricyanide (tip coating). Test results are expressed in ppm (mg/Liter) “equivalent phenol” as C6H5OH. Most parasubstituted phenols do not produce a color with this reagent. Ferrous iron causes a blue color which can be eliminated by adding several drops of 1% EDTA to the sample before dissolving the tip coating. Sulfide, in excess of 100 ppm, causes a yellow turbidity. Highly contaminated waste waters may require distillation to separate phenols from nonvolatile
impurities.