Solvent extraction using salphen as a ligand has been investigated for the selective separation and determination of trace Fe(II) and Fe(III). A salphen ligand was synthesized, and solvent extraction variables, such as solution pH, the concentration of salphen, the type of organic solvent, auxiliary agents, oxidants and the effect of interference were optimized. Salphen is stable at pH 3-4, and Fe(III)-salphen complexes can be selectively extracted into an MIBK(4-methyl-2-pentanone) phase from an aqueous solution within this pH range. For the determination of the total amount of iron in 100 mL of aqueous solution, Fe(II) ions were completely oxidized using 0.05 mL of 3.5% H2O2 without side reactions. To evaluate its applicability, the proposed method was applied to determine trace Fe(II) and Fe(III) in several kinds of water samples. Reproducible results were obtained with RSD of less than 3.0%, and the recoveries for this reliability were obtained with 91-112%.