A new method utilizing non-ionic surfactant of Triton X-100, which can be separated into two phases by heating to its cloud point, was developed to extract trace iron. And the effect of experimental conditions, such as Triton X-100 as surfactant and potassium thiocyanate as complexing agent on cloud point extraction (CPE), was also discussed. The CPE process was improved by reducing the cloud point of the surfactant solution about 30 ℃ with octanol; and the iron was co-extracted by Triton X-100 and octanol. Under the optimal experiment conditions, the detection limit was 0.02 mg•L^－1, and the recovery of iron was 97.4%～101.6%. The method has been applied to the determination of trace iron in water and wine samples with satisfactory results.

Key words: cloud point extraction, spectrophotometry, trace iron, tap water, wine