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Evaluation of Nitrogen-15 Tracer Techniques for Direct Measurement of Denitrification in Soil: I. Theory

Dep. of Agronomy, 1102 S. Goodwin Ave., Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Mass spectrometric procedures for determination of dinitrogen (N₂) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) evolved during denitrification in soil treated with ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer are based on the hypothesis that the nitrate (NO^–₃) undergoing denitrification can be assumed to exist in a single pool that is isotopically uniform. In the work reported, it is shown that ¹⁵X_N (the average mole fraction of ¹⁵N in the NO^–₃ undergoing denitrification) will be overestimated when this assumption is invalid. Moreover, it is proved mathematically that the amount of N₂ or N₂O evolved is underestimated when ¹⁵X_N does not exceed 0.5. This proof does not hold for higher values of ¹⁵X_N, but it is concluded that underestimation also occurs in these cases, because no exceptions were found in over three million computer simulations involving evolution of N₂ from multiple pools having ¹⁵N enrichments as high as 99.6 atom %.

This study was a part of Projects ILLU-15-0356 and ILLU-15-0392, Illinois Agric. Exp. Stn. Supported in part by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Received for publication June 29, 1987.

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