Abstract: Acicular .gamma.-iron(III) oxide is manufactured by reacting an iron(II) salt solution with aqueous solutions of alkali metal hydroxides and oxidizing the resulting suspension of iron(II) hyroxides in 3 stages. In the first stage not more than 8 percent by weight of the iron(II) hydroxide originally present is oxidized over a period of 0.5 to 4 hours, in the second stage from 25 to 55 percent by weight over a period of 1.5 to 6 hours and the remainder thereof in a third stage. Following this oxidation, the goethite formed is reduced to magnetite, which is then oxidized to acicular .gamma.-iron(III) oxide.

Abstract: A process for the manufacture of acicular gamma-iron(III) oxide which, because of its improved dispersibility in organic binders, is suitable for the manufacture of magnetic recording media exhibiting a particularly high orientation ratio. For this purpose, the non-magnetic acicular .alpha.-iron(III) oxide or goethite pigment is treated with from 0.5 to 10% by weight, based on the pigment, of a compound of the formula I: ##STR1## where R.sup.1, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are hydrogen, alkyl of 1 to 24 carbon atoms or alkenyl of 1 to 24 carbon atoms and (RX).sup.- is selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic carboxylic acid of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, an aromatic carboxylic acid of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a sulfonic acid and an ester of phosphoric acid and is then further processed by conventional methods to give gamma-iron(III) oxide.