Iron Chemical Analysis of Spodosols to Date Last Pleistocene-Holocene. The Example of the Italian Central Alps.

Author(s):  
Alessandro Longhi ◽  
Mauro Guglielmin

<p>The deglaciation of the Italian Central Alps is still discussed and not well known, especially when we consider the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene. This study will use different fraction of the iron content of paleo-spodosols to date the time of the deglaciation of three areas in the Central Italian Alps (Gavia, Stelvio and Val Viola). Relying on a first soil distribution analysis and on geomorphological evidences, we opened and described 24 soil pits and from each A and B horizon we collected at least 1 kg of sample to do some basic soil physical analysis: granulometry, water content, pH and loss on ignition. The oxalate extractable iron fraction and the dithionite extractable iron fraction have been determined with standard lab procedures, the total iron content has been determined using a SEM/EDX analysis. We calculated the Iron Crystallinity Ratio, defined as the difference between the dithionite extractable iron fraction and the oxalate extractable iron fraction, normalized on the total iron content. The Iron Crystallinity Ratio gives us a relative age of the soil formation: using data from radiocarbon dating and from cosmogenic dating, we calibrated the Iron Crystallinity Ratio with absolute ages. With the obtained functions, which showed a good fitting, we calculated ages between 15809 years and 5490 years in the Gavia area, between 11760 years and 7237 years in the Stelvio area and between 14668 years and 7096 years in the Val Viola area.</p>

1983 ◽  
Vol 218 (1210) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  

The number of iron atoms in the dimeric iron-containing superoxide dismutase from Pseudomonas ovalis and their atomic positions have been determined directly from anomalous scattering measurements on crystals of the native enzyme. To resolve the long-standing question of the total amount of iron per molecule for this class of dismutase, the occupancy of each site was refined against the measured Bijvoet differences. The enzyme is a symmetrical dimer with one iron site in each subunit. The iron position is 9 ņ from the intersubunit interface. The total iron content of the dimer is 1.2±0.2 moles per mole of protein. This is divided between the subunits in the ratio 0.65:0.55; the difference between them is probably not significant. Since each subunit contains, on average, slightly more than half an iron atom we conclude that the normal state of this enzyme is two iron atoms per dimer but that some of the metal is lost during purification of the protein. Although the crystals are obviously a mixture of holo- and apo-enzymes, the 2.9 Å electron density map is uniformly clean, even at the iron site. We conclude that the three-dimensional structures of the iron-bound enzyme and the apoenzyme are identical.


2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.K. Yadav ◽  
S. Sehgal

Spinach ( Spinacia oleracia) and amaranth ( Amaranthus tricolor) leaves were stored in polyethylene bags and without packing for 24 and 48 hours in a refrigerator at 5°C and 30°C in polyethylene bags. The fresh leaves were also dried (oven and sun), blanched (5, 10 and 15 min) and cooked in an open pan and a pressure cooker. The processed leaves were analysed for total iron, its availability and antinutrient content. The iron content of these leaves varied from 26.54 to 34.14 mg/l00g, dry weight and its HCl-extractability and in vitro availability were 62.11–67.18% and 3.03–3.97% of total respectively. Drying and storage had no significant effect on total iron content, Hel-extractability and availability ( in vitro), while blanching and cooking resulted in significant improvement of iron availability, and a significant reduction in oxalic acid content, while only blanching significantly reduced phytic acid and polyphenol contents. Thus cooking and blanching are good ways to improve HCl-extractability and in vitro availability of iron.


1993 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Dubbin ◽  
A. R. Mermut ◽  
H. P. W. Rostad

Soils developed from parent materials derived from uppermost Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks have been delineated from those which do not contain any of these younger sediments. The present study was initiated to determine the validity of this delineation. Parent materials from six locations in southwestern Saskatchewan were collected to determine their general chemical and physical properties. Clay fractions from each of these six parent materials were then subjected to detailed chemical and mineralogical analyses. The two parent materials containing the greatest amount of post-Bearpaw bedrock sediments (Jones Creek, Scotsguard) were characterized by substantially more organic carbon and less CaCO3. The presence of coal and the absence of carbonates in local bedrocks were considered to be the source of these deviations. In general, fine clays were comprised of 64–69% smectite, 14–21% illite and 10–13% kaolinite and coarse clay contained 32–39% smectite, 25–34% illite and 11–14% kaolinite. An exception was found in two fine clays which had less smectite but 3–6% vermiculite. Total iron content of the fine clays ranged from 7.16 to 8.11% expressed as Fe2O3. However, only a small fraction of this iron was extractable using the CDB technique. There were no substantial differences in surface areas or CECs of the clay fractions. Despite minor differences in the chemistry and mineralogy of these six parent materials, a separation of the soil associations does not appear to be warranted. Key words: Parent materials, uppermost Cretaceous, Tertiary, bedrock, clay mineralogy


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