The purpose of this article is to determine physical and chemical properties of the iron oxide solution prepared in our laboratory and to evaluate the possibility for using it as a nuclear magnetic resonance contrast agent. The iron concentration and viscosity of the solution were found to be 0.15 mol/L and 0.00168 Pa·s

respectively

the particle size of the iron core was about 10nm determined with a transmission electronic telescope. The susceptibility increased with increasing iron concentration. The T2 signal intensity decreased by more than 50% at iron concentration of 0.1mmol/L

there was a peak of T1 signal intensity at iron concentration of 0.2—0.4mmol/L. No precipitate was observed in the solution after storing for one year. It was concluded good homogeneity and suspensibility of the iron solution were obtained. The significant decrease of T2 signal intensity with iron concentration shows that the solution was a promising contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging.