Estimating non‐crystalline and crystalline aluminum and iron by selective dissolution in a riparian forest soil

Abstract

Abstract We compared sequential and separate extraction procedures for estimating non‐crystalline and crystalline aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) in a floodplain forest soil. We used 0.2M acid ammonium oxalate (pH 3.0) to estimate non‐crystalline Al and Fe, dithionite‐citrate‐bicarbonate to estimate crystalline Fe, and 0.1M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to estimate crystalline Al. Both separate and various combinations of sequential extractions were compared, as well as variations in soil:solution ratio, extraction time, extraction temperature, and the use of field‐moist versus dried soils. A sequential oxalate/NaOH extraction, using 0.4 g dry weight equivalent of field‐moist soil and a soil:solution ratio of 1:100, gave the best estimate of non‐crystalline Al and Fe and crystalline Al, while a separate 16 hour DCB extraction at room temperature, using 0.8 g dry weight equivalent of field‐moist soil and a soil:solution ratio of 1:50, gave the best estimate for non‐crystalline plus crystalline Fe. A sequential oxalate/NaOH extraction followed by a separate DCB extraction is a relatively simple procedure for estimating amounts of non‐crystalline and crystalline Al and Fe in large numbers of soil samples.