A study of methods for the classification of bottom deposits of natural waters
The study of the role of bottom sediments of rivers and maturation ponds in the purification of polluted waters which flow over them has been handicapped by lack of suitable methods for classifying sediments according to their physical, chemical and biochemical characteristics . Bottom deposits of lakes, rivers and dams may be regarded as soils which have developed under humid and water-logged conditions . The judicious application of the methods developed by soil scientists for the assessment of agricultural soils to the evaluation of certain important characteristics of sediments is therefore a logical development. Pioneering work in this respect was done by ZULLIG (1955) who applied a number of the methods of soil analysis to bottom deposits of eutrophic and oligotrophic lakes in Switzerland and attempted to correlate the results with the degree of trophy of the lake. Both he and OHLE (1955) pointed out that bottom deposits have ion-exchange properties which can contribute to the removal of ions from the water phase into the muds, but neither of these workers attempted to measure the extent to which this occurs quantitatively. In the present study a number of methods used to determine chemical, physical and biochemical properties of soils have been applied to bottom sediments from the Apies River near Pretoria, including samples taken near its origin where it is free from pollution, below the point of discharge of treated effluent from the Pretoria Sewage Works, where considerable pollution occurs and further
Permanganate‐Azide Test for Total Chromium in Water
chromium and a diphenylcarbazide reagent, resulting in a characteristic reddish-violet color, following Beer's Law. This reaction does not occur with trivalent or bivalent chromium. To facilitate the determination of the total chromium which may be present in a water, it has been found feasible to oxidize the polyvalent chromium ions to the hexavalent state. Once this has been accomplished, the chromium is measured colorimetrically or photometrically by utilizing the diphenylcarbazide color reaction. The original standard method for total chromium (1) utilized perchloric acid for the oxidation operation. The shortcomings of this procedure were evidenced by its lack of precision. It was also a difficult method to use on waters containing significant quantities of organic material. In the attempt to find a more reliable test for total chromium, comparative studies of new procedures were conducted by the Nassau County Division of Laboratories and Research, Hempstead, N.Y., the US Public Health Service, and the New York State Health Department Laboratories (2). The results of these studies led to the inclusion of the alkaline bromate and the permanganate oxidation procedures in the current issue of Standard Methods (3). The Nassau County Division of Laboratories and Research has found the latter procedure the more desirable. It circumvents the undesirable effect of organic or reducing materials which may be present in the water under examination.
Determination of soluble phosphate, and total phosphorus in sea-water and of total phosphorus in marine muds
SummaryThe use ofp-methylaminophenol sulphate (metol) at 100‡ for the reduction of phosphomolybdic acid in the determination of phosphate in sea-water has a number of advantages over stannous chloride. The molybdenum blue colour once formed, is stable for several hours, and the calibration curve is not dependent upon the batches of reagent used; Beer's law is obeyed up to concentrations of at least 1 mg PO4-P/l. The salt error is very small and the method has approximately 30% greater sensitivity in sea-water than has the stannous chloride method. Arsenic does not interfere at concentrations five times greater than its sea-water concentration. Iron and copper in moderate amounts do not interfere.Evaporation to dryness with a mixture of concentrated nitric and perchloric acids, followed by colorimetric determination of inorganic phosphate, is employed for the determination of total phosphorus in sea-water and marine muds. The method shows a coefficient of variation of ca. 2% with sea-water containing 60Μg P/l.ZusammenfassungDie Anwendung von p-Methylaminophenolsulfat (Metol) bei 100‡ für die Reduktion von PhosphomolybdÄnsÄure bei der Bestimmung der Phosphate in Meerwasser hat gegenüber Zinn(II)chlorid eine Reihe von Vorteilen. Das einmal gebildete MolybdÄnblau ist für einige Stunden stabil und die Eichkurve nicht von der angewendeten Menge Reagens abhÄngig; das Beersche Gesetz ist für Konzentrationen bis zu 1 mg Phosphat-Phosphor/l gültig. Der Salzfehler ist sehr klein und die Methode für Meerwasser etwa um 30% empfindlicher als die Zinn(II)chloridmethode. Arsen stört bei Konzentrationen, die fünfmal größer sind als in Meerwasser, nicht. Eisen und Kupfer in mÄßigen Mengen stören gleichfalls nicht.Für die Bestimmung des Gesamtphosphors in Meerwasser und Seeschlamm wird mit einer Mischung von konz. SalpetersÄure und PerchlorsÄure zur Trockne verdampft und das anorganische Phosphat kolorimetrisch gemessen. Die Methode zeigt eine Schwankungsbreite von etwa 2% für Meerwasser mit 60Μg P/l.RésuméL'emploi du sulfate de p-méthylaminophenol (métol) à 100‡ pour la réduction de l'acide phosphomolybdique lors du dosage des phosphates contenus dans l'eau de mer présente de multiples avantages sur celui du chlorure stanneux. Après sa formation, le bleu de molybdène reste stable pendant plusieurs heures et la courbe d'étalonnage ne varie pas avec le lot de réactif employé; la loi deBeer est applicable jusqu'à des concentrations au moins égales à 1 mg de phosphore phosphorique par litre. L'erreur de sel est très faible et la sensibilité de la méthode appliquée à l'eau de mer est environ 30% plus élevée que la méthode au chlorure stanneux. L'arsenic ne gÊne pas mÊme pour des concentrations cinq fois supérieures à celle qu'il atteint dans l'eau de mer. Des teneurs modérées de fer et de cuivre n'apportent pas de perturbation. On évapore à siecité en présence d'un mélange d'acides nitrique et perchlorique concentrés puis on effectue une détermination colorimétrique des phosphates minéraux pour doser le phosphore total de l'eau de mer et des boues marines. La méthode est sujette à des variations d'environ 2% pour leau de mer contenant 60 Μg de phosphore par litre.