Department of Chemistry, North Bengal University, Darjeeling-734 430 Manuscript received 13 May 1988, accepted May 1989 A spectrophotometric method of determination of iron Is described. The red complex formed between iron(II), thiocyanate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide Is extractable into benzene. Addition of borate enhances the colour Intensity. Absorbance, measured at 475 nm, shows a linear response upto 1.5 ppm of iron. Molar absorptivity of the complex and Sandell's sensitivity are determined and Interferences studied. Iron bas been determined In synthetic mixtures.