Fractionation of nitrogen-15 during distillation of ammonia in an all-glass still

Journal Article · Thu May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Anal. Chem.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ac50056a052· OSTI ID:5166720

O'Deen, W A; Porter, L K

The detection of N isotopic fractionation during distillation in an all-glass Kjeldahl distillation apparatus is reported. Five milligrams of N from (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ in 100 ml of solution at a 1.3 atom % /sup 15/N level were distilled from a 250 ml boiling flask through a Kontes Kjeldahl distillation apparatus. The solution was made basic with 1 ml of 13N NaOH and distillate was collected sequentially in three glass shell vials, and then in a 100 ml beaker, each containing .5ml of 1N HCl. Three ml of distillate were collected in each vial and 40 ml in the beaker. The first distilled N-fraction was lower in atom % /sup 15/N than the standard. In subsequent fractions, atom % /sup 15/N values increased until the last fraction was higher than the undistilled standard. The last fraction differed from the first fraction and standard significantly at the 0.01 level. The first fraction differed significantly from the standard at the 0.05 probability level by 3.2 parts per thousand. Data indicated that atom % /sup 15/N distillation values can be expected to be slightly lower than undistilled values owing to N isotopic fractionation. 1 table. (DP)

• Research Organization: Dept. of Agriculture, Fort Collins, CO
• OSTI ID: 5166720
• Journal Information: Anal. Chem.; (United States), Journal Name: Anal. Chem.; (United States) Vol. 52:6; ISSN ANCHA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
AMMONIUM SULFATES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
DISTILLATION
GLASS
HYDRIDES
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
KJELDAHL METHOD
LIGHT NUCLEI
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STABLE ISOTOPES
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS