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Diffusion Method To Prepare Soil Extracts For Automated Nitrogen-15 Analysis

Dep. of Soil Science, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720

B. B. McInteer

Isotope Services Los Alamos, NM 87544

T. Preston

Scottish Univ. Research and Reactor Centre, East Kilbride G75 OQU, Scotland

*Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

A diffusion method that requires less labor than distillation methods was developed for preparing soil KCl extracts for ¹⁵NH⁺₄ and ¹⁵NO^-₃ analyses. The procedure is ideal for preparing samples having low N mass (50–200 µg N) with no cross contamination. The method uses 140 mL disposable specimen containers to hold the sample, and 7-mm diam, disks of acidified GF/D glass fiber filter paper on stainless steel wire as the acid trap. Devarda's alloy and MgO are used as the reductant and base respectively. Complete diffusion for 40 to 60 mL of sample takes 6 d at room temperature with no shaking. Paired t-tests comparing analyses of soil extracts of varying ¹⁵N enrichment by this method and steam distillation showed no significant difference (p = 0.64). Use of KHSO₄ as the trapping acid allows the paper disks to be placed in a Sn capsule and analyzed by direct combustion mass spectrometry. Alternately, H₂SO₄ can be used and the disks analyzed by an automated NaOBr method. The disks can be easily dried in a desiccator over H₂SO₄ and mailed for ¹⁵N analysis by service laboratories.

Received for publication October 7, 1988.

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