Determination of organic carbon in pyritic and acid sulfate soils

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Abstract
Pyrite is oxidized during the dichromate wet oxidation digestion of soils for organic carbon determination. Pyrite‐sulfur concentrations greater than 0.29% resulted in over estimation of organic carbon. The interference could be corrected using a multiple regression equation if the pyrite‐sulfur is determined. It is possible to estimate the pyrite‐sulfur concentration of soils from the wet oxidation and combustion determinations of organic carbon. This method is much more rapid, but less accurate, than a direct method for pyrite‐sulfur analysis. Loss on ignition is also affected by the decomposition of pyrite. In this case it was not possible to accurately correct for the pyrite using the pyrite‐sulfur determinations.