Premium
The probable occurrence of hydroxylarnine in the water of an Ethiopian lake.
Author(s) -
BAXTER R. M.,
WOOD R. B.,
PROSSER M. V.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1973.18.3.0470
Subject(s) - hydroxylamine , boiling , nitrite , crater lake , carbon dioxide , environmental chemistry , chemistry , oxide , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , nitrate , geochemistry , organic chemistry , volcano , geotechnical engineering
Fresh samples of water from all depths of Lake Pawlo, a moderately alkaline Ethiopian crater lake, frequently showed a marked increase in nitrite ion content after brief boiling. This did not occur, or was greatly reduced, in samples kept overnight before boiling. It is suggested that this was due to the presence of hydroxylamine. At the original pH of the water, oxidation of the hydroxylamine in the samples leads to nitrous oxide. When the sample is boiled, carbon dioxide is driven off and pH is increased. At this higher pH the oxidation of hydroxylamine follows a different pathway. Hydroxylamine may be a more frequent constituent of lake waters than has been assumed.