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Separation of Organic and Inorganic Phosphorus in Soil Extracts by Mechanical and Chromatographic Filtration
Author(s) -
Anderson C. A.,
Black C. A.
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1965.03615995002900030011x
Subject(s) - chemistry , filtration (mathematics) , total organic carbon , sorption , phosphorus , size exclusion chromatography , carbon fibers , chromatography , organic matter , environmental chemistry , adsorption , organic chemistry , materials science , mathematics , composite number , composite material , enzyme , statistics
Soil extracts containing organic and inorganic phosphorus were prepared by HCl‐NaOH and HCl‐NH 4 OH techniques. The extracts were made 0.5 n to HCl and were passed through columns of purified activated carbon to effect retention of the organic P by a combination of mechanical and chromatographic filtration. Inorganic P was removed by washing the columns with 0.5 n HCl. The carbon was ashed, and the ash was analyzed for P to determine the amount of organic P retained. The organic P in the extracts was retained almost quantitatively by the carbon, and inorganic P was removed almost quantitatively. No competition of inorganic P with organic P for sorption by the carbon was observed. The quantity of carbon and the normality and volume of HCl wash solution were not critical. As compared with the traditional methods of difference employed for measuring soil organic P, the method of filtration has the advantage of requiring only a small correction for the P present in inorganic form, even where quantities of organic P of the order of 10 µg are accompanied by as much as 10 4 µg of organic P.