Rapid determination of dissolved organic phosphorus in soil leachates and runoff waters by flow injection analysis with on-line photo-oxidation.

A rapid method suitable for the determination of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) in soil leachates and runoff waters is presented. The flow injection (FI) manifold contains an in-line PTFE reaction coil wrapped around a low power UV lamp and is based on the spectrophotometric determination of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) and mineralised DOP at 690 nm after reduction of phosphomolybdate to molybdenum blue with tin(II) chloride. The linear range was 0-1.5 mg 1(-1) PO(4)-P, with a detection limit (3 s) of 7 mug 1(-1) and a sample throughput of 40 h(-1). Tolerance to potential matrix interferences in soil pore waters, particularly Al(III), Si(IV), Fe(II) and Fe(III), was achieved using a combination of on-line sample pre-treatment by a strong acid ion exchange column, low photoreactor pH and acid induced control of the kinetics of the molybdenum blue reaction. The results obtained with this manifold were in good agreement with those obtained by a batch spectrophotometric reference method.