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A method for analyzing the δ 18 O of resin‐extractable soil inorganic phosphate
Author(s) -
Weiner Tal,
Mazeh Shunit,
Tamburini Federica,
Frossard Emmanuel,
Bernasconi Stefano M.,
Chiti Tommaso,
Angert Alon
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
rapid communications in mass spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.528
H-Index - 136
eISSN - 1097-0231
pISSN - 0951-4198
DOI - 10.1002/rcm.4899
Subject(s) - chemistry , phosphate , soil water , phosphorus , environmental chemistry , precipitation , soil test , isotopes of oxygen , ion exchange resin , radiochemistry , inorganic chemistry , nuclear chemistry , soil science , environmental science , physics , organic chemistry , meteorology
Improved tools for tracing phosphate transformations in soils are much needed, and can lead to a better understanding of the terrestrial phosphorus cycle. The oxygen stable isotopes in soil phosphate are still not exploited in this regard. Here we present a method for measuring the oxygen stable isotopes in a fraction of the soil phosphate which is rapidly available to plants, the resin‐extractable P. This method is based on extracting available phosphate from the soil with anion‐exchange membranes, soil organic matter removal by a resin, purification by precipitation as cerium phosphate, and finally precipitation as silver phosphate. The purified silver phosphate samples are then measured by a high‐temperature elemental analyzer (HT‐EA) coupled in continuous flow mode to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Testing the method with Mediterranean and semi‐arid soils showed no artifacts, as well as good reproducibility in the same order as that of the HT‐EA analytical uncertainty (0.3‰). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.