The determination of total phosphorus in soils and parent materials

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Abstract
The amounts of total P extracted by Na2CO3 fusion and by HF and HClO4 digestion procedures from selected New Zealand soils and parent materials were compared. It is suggested that Na2CO3 fusion is the most reliable procedure. Digestion with HClO4 gave low results with strongly weathered materials and with samples which contained apatite inclusions within constituent primary minerals; whereas digestion with HF gave slightly low results only with samples which contained included apatite. Incomplete extraction of P by HClO4 and HF digestion procedures from samples which contained apatite inclusions was ascribed to the partial resistance to attack of the host minerals. Because of occlusion within highly crystalline iron and aluminium oxides, secondary inorganic P in strongly weathered soils was less readily extracted by HClO4 digestion than by Na2CO3 fusion or HF digestion.

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