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Single Column Ion Chromatography: II. Analysis of Ammonium, Alkali Metals, and Alkaline Earth Cations in Soils¹

ABSTRACT

Single column ion chromatography (SCIC) was evaluated as an effective analytical method for the determination of soluble ammonium, alkali metals, and alkaline earth cations in soil extracts. Eluents chosen for determination of the mono-and divalent cations were 10 mM nitric acid (pH 2.1) and 5 mM ethylenediammonium dinitrate (pH 6.1), respectively. Separation was carried out on a commercially available, low-capacity, cation exchange column, with conductimetric detection. SCIC can utilize very small sample sizes ( 500 µL), and yields linear, reproducible relationships between peak area and concentration of cations. Simultaneous determination of Li⁺, Na⁺, NH⁺₄, and K⁺ or Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Ba²⁺ was performed in < 7 min with precision ranging from 3 to 8%. Determinations can be made against a background of various ions and organic constituents without interferences. Minimum detectable concentrations of the selected cations using a 500 µL loop were: Na²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺ (0.05 mg/L), Li⁺ and Ba²⁺ (0.10 mg/L), NH⁺₄-N (0.5 mg/L), and K⁺ and Sr²⁺ (1 mg/L). Results obtained by SCIC agreed closely with those obtained by other methods: NH⁺₄-N, steam distillation (r = 0.996***); Na⁺, atomic emission spectrometry (AES) (r = 0.992***); K⁺, AES (r = 0.999***); Mg²⁺, atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) (r = 0.995***); Ca²⁺, AAS (r = 0.996***). Simplicity of this method makes it feasible to construct a HPLC instrument dedicated for the analysis of cations.

¹ Contribution of the Dep. of Soil & Environ. Sci., Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521. Presented before Div. S-2, Soil Sci. Soc. of Am., Anaheim, CA, 1 Dec. 1982.

² Graduate student and Assistant Professor of Soil Science, Univ. of Calif., Riverside.

Received for publication February 10, 1984. Accepted for publication November 21, 1984.