Coupled Stable Isotope Tracing and Ferric Iron Oxidation (SIT-FIO) Method to Simultaneous Determine the 45N2O and 46N2O with Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer
Isotope Tracing,Ferric Iron Oxidation,45N2O,46N2O,Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer
Yiguo Hong / Institue of Environmental Research at Greater Bay; GuangZhou University
Herein, a method was developed to measure the concentrations of 45N2O and 46N2O in water and sediment sample using a coupled stable isotope tracing and ferric iron oxidation (SIT-FIO) method. Mixture of 14NH2OH and 15NH2OH at ratio 1:1, used as a tracer, was chemically oxidized to 45N2O and 46N2O by ferric iron (Fe3+). The produced 45N2O and 46N2O was measured by a membrane inlet mass spectrometer (MIMS). Under optimized experimental conditions, this method provides a sensitive (detection limit:12.5 nmol·L-1) and precise (relative standard deviation: ≤5%) approach to quantify the concentrations of 45N2O (25-25000 nmol·L-1) and 46N2O (12.5-12500 nmol·L-1) in water and sediment samples over a wide range of salinities (0-30‰) with excellent calibration curves (R2≥0.999). This method can be successfully applied to measure the N2O production rates contributing by nitrification and denitrification in water and sediment along the salinity gradient. Overall, this SIT-FIO method is the first to determine 45N2O and 46N2O simultaneously and accurately using Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometer with low cost.