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Decomposition of Methyl Nitrite in Solutions and Soils
Author(s) -
Magalhães A. M. T.,
Chalk P. M.
Publication year - 1986
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/sssaj1986.03615995005000010014x
Subject(s) - chemistry , soil water , distilled water , sorption , decomposition , hydrolysis , nitrite , environmental chemistry , nuclear chemistry , nitric acid , inorganic chemistry , nitrate , adsorption , organic chemistry , chromatography , soil science , environmental science
Abstract The role of hydrolysis as a process affecting the concentration of CH 3 ONO in the soil atmosphere was investigated by measuring the sorption of CH 3 ONO and the formation of NO ‐ 2 and NO ‐ 3 in two soils (−33‐kPa soil water potential) and three solutions in the dark at 20°C for 10 h. Soil pH and the pH of distilled H 2 O decreased on absorption of CH 3 ONO. In acidic solutions (distilled H 2 O and 0.1 M H 2 SO 4 ), > 90% of CH 3 ONO was recovered as NO ‐ 3 , whereas to an alkaline soil and 0.2 M NaOH, > 80% was recovered as NO ‐ 2 . Only 0 to 7% of CH 3 ONO remained in the atmosphere. In an acid soil only 50% of CH 3 ONO was recovered as [CH 3 ONO + NO ‐ 2 + NO ‐ 3 ]‐N. Recoveries of N in γ‐irradiated and nonirradiated soils did not differ significantly. The data indicate that CH 3 ONO was rapidly hydrolysed in solutions and in soils [CH 3 ONO + H 2 O ⇌ CH 3 OH + HNO 2 ], and that NO ‐ 3 formed via the self‐decomposition of HNO 2 . The low recovery of N in the acid soil may have been due to the participation of HNO 2 in chemodenitrification reactions. The rapid hydrolysis of CH 3 ONO is likely to inhibit the emission of CH 3 ONO formed in soils, and to cause the sorption of CH 3 ONO evolved from soils in closed systems.