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DISTRIBUTION OF PERCHLORATE IN SAMPLES OF SODIUM NITRATE (CHILE SALTPETER) FERTILIZER DERIVED FROM NATURAL CALICHE
Citation:
Urbansky*, E T., C A. Kelty*, S K. Brown*, AND M L. Magnuson. DISTRIBUTION OF PERCHLORATE IN SAMPLES OF SODIUM NITRATE (CHILE SALTPETER) FERTILIZER DERIVED FROM NATURAL CALICHE. Presented at 220 Natl Amer Chemical Society, Div of Fertilizer and Soil Chemistry, Washington, D.C, 8/2000.
Description:
Two lots of sodium nitrate fertilizer derived from Chilean caliche were analyzed to determine the distribution of perchlorate throughout the material. Although our samples represent a limited amount, we found that distribution was essentially homogeneous in any 100-g portion. When portions of 10 g were taken, some heterogeneity could be identified, but perchlorate content varied by no more than a factor of 2. Samples were dissolved in deionized water and subjected to ion chromatography. The perchlorate peak was verified by fortifying test solutions for IC as well as by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Perchlorate concentrations in samples of this natural product ranged from 0.7 to 1.9 mg/g, but averaged to about 1.7-1.8 mg/g. Variability between the lots was about 10% for the two lots we sampled. presumably, the homogeneous distribution arises from the manufacturing process in which the caliche ore is leached with water. The inclusion of a liquid solution phase in the process suggests that trace substances would be uniformly distributed. For perchlorate, this appears to be borne out by the experimental data.