The use of Sodium Hypobromite for the Oxidation of Organic Matter in the Mechanical Analysis of Soils

Abstract

1. The use of freshly prepared solutions of sodium hypobromite instead of boiling hydrogen peroxide solutions in the pretreatment of soils for mechanical analysis by the pipette method has the following advantages:(a) Soils containing manganese dioxide or large amounts of organic matter may be oxidised rapidly without heat, whereas oxidation of such soils by hydrogen peroxide is a tedious operation requiring large amounts of reagent.(b) Possible changes in the clay through heating and the dissolution of considerable amounts of sesquioxides are avoided.(c) The reagents are cheaper and more stable, especially in the tropics.(d) It makes possible further simplification in the technique of mechanical analysis.