Comparison of Conductimetric and Colorimetric Methods with Distillation–Titration Method of Analyzing Ammonium Nitrogen in Total Kjeldahl Digests

The distillation–titration method (DTM) is a standard procedure used by most laboratories to measure ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄-N) in the total Kjeldahl N (TKN) digests of various kinds of agricultural and environmental samples. These samples may have TKN contents ranging from less than 100 ppb to as high as percentage levels. However, the DTM procedure generally leads to a very low throughput because it is labor intensive and time-consuming. At the current practical quantitation limit (PQL) of 300 ppb established at the Feed and Environmental (FEW) Laboratory, University of Georgia, the DTM procedure is less applicable to low TKN surface water samples. In this study, we therefore compared the performance of diffusion conductivity method (DCM) and colorimetric method (CM) with DTM in measuring NH₄-N in the TKN digests of 29 different samples representing surface waters, lagoons, manures, poultry litters, and environmental wastes. Acceptable accuracy and precision were achieved for various QC samples by all three methods. For widely different sample matrices and TKN contents, the NH₄-N in the TKN digests measured by DCM and CM both agreed well with that measured by DTM. However, the linear working range of CM is limited within 0.2 to 5.0 ppm, whereas DCM is linear at a wider range of 0.01 to 2000 ppm. With DCM, the PQL of TKN is at 13 ppb, much less than the 300 ppb in DTM and 520 ppb in CM. Both DCM and CM require increasing the pH of the working TKN digest to a highly alkaline range. To meet such pH requirement, the minimum dilution need for DCM is twofold, where as that CM is fourfold. Because of greater mandatory dilution requirement coupled with a greater PQL, CM may often fail to measure NH₄-N in the working TKN digest of some low TKN surface water samples. On the other hand, with some environmental waste samples containing TKN at percentage level, CM would require multistep dilution of the digests prior to measurement, thus allowing dilution-related error as well as requiring additional labor. In contrast, DCM can measure both low TKN surface waters and high TKN environmental wastes without any major limitations. Moreover, DCM may work well without any adjustment of sample background in the calibration standards. Thus DCM appears to be an attractive alternative to the labor-intensive and time-consuming DTM for measuring NH₄-N in the TKN digests of various kinds of agricultural and environmental samples in the analytical services laboratories.     

Porphyra-334 Isolated from the Marine Algae Bangia atropurpurea: Conformational Performance for Energy Conversion

Prophyra-334 (p-334) may play a role of energy transfer under an uncertain mechanism, and we speculate the possible model. Via 1D and 2D NMR experiments, it was simulated the correlation between dissociation and conformation of p-334. Intramolecular interactions were observed based on a series of changes in the 1H and 13C chemical shifts. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy experiments and molecular models in various pD conditions indicated the p-334 molecular dissociation process status. In addition, we also used Chem3D software to find the most possible molecular conformation. The relationship between the structural status and energy conversion is explained. Those are the primary results. More researches on it are highly expected in the future.     

碳酸丙烯酯固化剂对酚醛树脂固化性能的影响

在自制的酚醛树脂（PF树脂）中加入不同固化剂,考察固化剂对酚醛树脂固化时间的影响,筛选出固化速度最快的固化剂碳酸丙烯酯,同时研究了碳酸丙烯酯用量与树脂固化时间、适用期、胶合强度之间的关系,并优化出添加最佳用量的碳酸丙烯酯优化树脂的热压工艺．结果表明,当碳酸丙烯酯用量为树脂胶液量的2％时,酚醛树脂的固化时间缩短了64．4％,适用期240min．利用添加2％碳酸丙烯酯的酚醛树脂,通过不同热压工艺生产胶合板,当热压时间为1．0min·mm-1时,热压温度从105℃降到95℃;当热压温度为105℃时,热压时间从1．0min·mm-1缩短至0．7min·mm-1,两者均可减少能耗,降低生产成本．差示扫描量热法分析结果表明,添加2％碳酸丙烯酯的酚醛树脂固化起始温度为49．6℃,峰顶温度为109．2℃,固化温度较低．     

12份福建乌龙茶的同步热分析

采用同步热分析仪研究12份福建乌龙茶茶样的热分解过程.试验条件为:茶样由室温以10℃·min-1匀速升温至600℃,气氛为空气,铝坩埚加盖(盖上钻1 mm的孔).结果表明:茶叶的热分解过程分为5个失重阶段:1室温至100℃左右主要为脱水阶段;2100-226℃为茶叶挥发物逸出阶段;3226-345℃为变味热分解阶段;4345-482℃为碳化阶段;5482-600℃为燃烧阶段.茶叶具有相似的失重过程,差示扫描量热法(DSC)曲线体现茶叶的特征,阶段2主要体现茶叶内含物的品质特征,阶段345主要体现茶叶的纤维素、半纤维素和木质素及粗蛋白、粗脂肪和无机盐等其他物质的含量特征,可反映不同品种、季节和加工工艺茶叶组成的差异.因此同步热分析可作为一种初步的鉴别方法.     

不同醛化方法制备的红细胞对鸡NDV血凝试验的影响

进行了不同醛化方法制备的红细胞对新城疫的血凝(HA)影响试验。结果表明:2种红细胞在新城疫HA试验中的结果基本一致;而且用PBS液和生理盐水作稀释液的试验结果也基本一致。     

饲料中钙含量测定的不确定度评定

建立了EDTA滴定法测定饲料中钙含量不确定度评定的数学模型,分析了检测过程中不确定度的来源并计算了各不确定度分量,并得出合成标准不确定度和扩展不确定度。在产蛋鸡配合饲料钙含量的测定中,钙含量为4.00%,其扩展不确定度为0.040%,K=2。影响钙含量测量结果不确定度的最大因素是重复性实验的不确定度。     

含氟聚合物对电解质电导率的影响

采用溶液浇铸的方法制备了以PEO LiClO4(聚氧乙烯高氯酸锂)为基质的共混聚合物膜.运用差热示差扫描热分析和交流阻抗的测试方法,研究了聚合物电解质电导率的影响因素.交流阻抗的测试结果显示,随着PVDF(偏氟乙烯)的加入,含有PEO LiClO4的聚合物电解质的离子电导率会随之下降,然而偏氟乙烯六氟丙烯共聚物P(VDF HFP)加入后,在适量范围内聚合物电解质的电导率会增加.当PEO∶P(VDF HFP)的质量分数为1∶0.5时,电导率(δ)最大,其值为2.3×10-4S/cm.DSC的测试结果表明,P(VDF HFP)的加入后,混合物的熔融温度和熔融峰热焓都会随之下降.研究表明对PEO的共混改性可以显著提高电解质电导率.     

高含水率刀豆、茄子和青椒的等温解吸规律

对高含水率刀豆(普通浓度、高浓度预处理和未预处理)、茄子和青椒(普通浓度预处理)进行了静态下平衡含水率(EMC)的测定试验(在40℃、60℃和80℃的解吸环境温度,5％～88％的相对湿度下),得出了其反映平衡含水率与温湿度关系的等温解吸曲线,讨论了温湿度、预处理及种类对平衡含水率影响的规律。并对普通浓度预处理刀豆选择了最适宜的平衡含水率模型;EMC=[(1n(1-RH))/(-aT)]~(1/b),确定了其模型系数为:a=0.63,b=2.77。     

有机肥料中氯离子检测方法的研究

通过全自动电位滴定法与佛尔哈德法对有机肥料样品中氯离子含量进行测定比较,结果显示,自动电位滴定法不受溶液颜色干扰,测定更为快速、准确,平均回收率为97.1%。此种方法缩短了前处理时间,使实验操作更为便捷。同时该法适用于植株中的氯离子含量的测定。     

Thermal stability of soil organic matter pools and their δC values after C3-C4 vegetation change

Carbon isotopic composition of soils subjected to C₃-C₄ vegetation change is a suitable tool for the estimation of C turnover in soil organic matter (SOM) pools. We hypothesized that the biological availability of SOM pools is inversely proportional to their thermal stability. Soil samples from a field plot with 10.5 years of cultivation of the C₄ plant Miscanthus×gigantheus and from a reference plot under C₃ grassland vegetation were analysed by thermogravimetry coupled with differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC). According to differential weight losses (dTG) and energy release or consumption (DSC), five SOM pools with increasing thermal stability were distinguished: (I) 20-190 °C, (II) 190-310 °C, (III) 310-390 °C, (IV) 390-480 °C, and (V) 480-1000 °C. Their δ¹³C values were analysed by EA-IRMS. The weight losses in pool I were connected with water evaporation, since no significant C losses were measured and δ¹³C values remained unchanged. The δ¹³C of pools II and III in soil samples under Miscanthus were closer to the δ¹³C of the Miscanthus plant tissues (−11.8‰) compared to the thermally stable SOM pool V (−19.5‰). The portion of the Miscanthus-derived C₄-C in total SOM in 0-5 cm reached 55.4% in the 10.5 years. The C₄-C contribution in pool II was 60% and decreased down to 6% in pool V. The mean residence times (MRT) of SOM pools II, III, and IV were similar (11.6, 12.2, and 15.4 years, respectively), while pool V had a MRT of 163 years. Therefore, we concluded that the biological availability of thermal labile SOM pools (<480 °C) was higher, than that of the thermal stable pool decomposed above 480 °C. However, the increase of SOM stability with rising temperature was not gradual. Therefore, the applicability of the TG-DSC for the separation of SOM pools with different biological availability is limited.