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Organic nitrogen interference with automated ammonium analyses
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1981
Year
Organic GeochemistryEnvironmental ChemistryBiogeochemistryEngineeringEnvironmental EngineeringInorganic Nh 4Automated Phenol MethodSoil Organic MatterSoil ChemistryNutrient CycleAnalytical ChemistryAmmoniaForest SoilAutomated MethodOrganic Nitrogen InterferenceSoil Biochemistry
Automated analyses for inorganic NH 4 N are being performed on samples of widely differing organic and inorganic composition and this causes concern about the accuracy of the inorganic NH 4 N determination. An automated phenol method for determination of inorganic NH 4 N was compared with the steam distillation method for analysis of KCl extracts of forest floor samples. Amino acids added to the KCl extracts were found to contribute significant positive interference to the automated method. Modification of the automated method yielded results identical to steam distillation analyses. The original method was found to overestimate inorganic NH 4 N in extracts of forest floor material by 17–26%.