Decomposition of methyl nitrite in solutions and soils
The role of hydrolysis as a process affecting the concentration of CH/sub 3/ONO in the soil atmosphere was investigated by measuring the sorption of CH/sub 3/ONO and the formation of NO/sub 2//sup -/ and NO/sub 3//sup -/ in two soils (-33-kPa soil water potential) and three solutions in the dark at 20/sup 0/C for 10 h. Soil pH and the pH of distilled H/sub 2/O decreased on absorption of CH/sub 3/ONO. In acidic solutions (distilled H/sub 2/O and 0.1MH/sub 2/SO/sub 4/), >90% of CH/sub 3/ONO was recovered as NO/sub 3//sup -/, whereas to an alkaline soil and 0.2 M NaOH, >80% was recovered as NO/sub 2//sup -/. Only 0 to 7% of CH/sub 3/ONO remained in the atmosphere. In an acid soil only 50% of CH/sub 3/ONO was recovered as (CH/sub 3/ONO + NO/sub 2//sup -/ + NO/sub 3//sup -/-N. Recoveries of N in ..gamma..-irradiated and nonirradiated soils did not differ significantly. The data indicate that CH/sub 3/ONO was rapidly hydrolysed in solutions and in soils (CH/sub 3/ONO + H/sub 2/O in equilibrium CH/sub 3/OH + HNO/sub 2/), and that NO/sub 3//sup -/ formed via the self-decomposition of HNO/sub 2/. The low recovery of N in the acid soil may have been due to the participation of HNO/sub 2/ in chemodenitrification reactions. The rapid hydrolysis of CH/sub 3/ONO is likely to inhibit the emission of CH/sub 3/ONO formed in soils, and to cause the sorption of CH/sub 3/ONO evolved from soils in closed systems.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
- OSTI ID:
- 6938393
- Journal Information:
- Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J.; (United States) Vol. 50:1; ISSN SSSJD
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
400201 -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
DECOMPOSITION
ESTERS
HYDROLYSIS
LYSIS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
NITROGEN OXIDES
NITROUS ACID ESTERS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PH VALUE
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SOILS
SOLVOLYSIS
SORPTION
SYNTHESIS
WATER CHEMISTRY