Improvement of the wet-oxidation procedure for simultaneous.pdfVIP

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 105: 203-207.1994 Published February 17 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. NOTE Improvement of the wet-oxidation procedure for simultaneous determination of particulate organic nitrogen and phosphorus collected on filters M. Pujo-Pay, P. Raimbault Centre doceanologie de Marseille, Facult6 des sciences de Luminy. Case 901, F-13288 Marseille cedex 9, France ABSTRACT: A new digestion technique is presented for 1992).The main problem with simultaneous determi- simultaneous analysis of particulate organic nitrogen (PON) nation of PON and POP is that nitrogen oxidation re- and particulate organic phosphorus (POP)collected on filters. quires an alkaline medium while phosphorus analysis This method is based on a standard persulfate digestion pro- cedure at 120°C and adapted from a former method for the requires acidified samples. Valderrama (1981) and simultaneous determinat~onof total nitrogen and total phos- Johnes Heathwaite (1992) resolved this problem by phorus in natural waters. Comparisons 1~1thusual methods using a variable pH reagent. Their initially basic oxida- using separate determinations for PON and POP indicate a tive medium became acidic during the oxidation, by high efficiency of the procedure for cell cultures or natural decomposition of persulfate to sulphuric acid at high seawater samples. N~trateand phosphate formed by oxida- tion can be analysed s~multaneouslyon an automa