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A new approach of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) has been developed for the speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) using zincon-immobilized silica-coated magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (Zincon-Si-MNPs) as the MSPE absorbent. Cr(III) was quantitatively reserved on the absorbent at pH 9.1 while total Cr was reserved at pH 6.5. The absorbed Cr species were eluted by using 2 mol/L HCl and detected by GFAAS. The concentration of Cr(VI) could be calculated by subtracting Cr(III) from total Cr. All the parameters affecting the separation and extraction efficiency of Cr species such as pH, extraction time, concentration and volume of eluent, sample volume and influence of co-existing ions were systematically examined and the optimized conditions were established accordingly. The detection limit (LOD) of the method was 0.016 and 0.011 ng mL(-1) for Cr(III) and Cr(VI), respectively, with the enrichment factor of 100 and 150. The precisions of this method (Relative standard deviation, RSD, n=7) for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) at 0.1 ng mL(-1) were 6.0% and 6.2%, respectively. In order to validate the proposed method, a certified reference material of environmental water was analyzed, and the result of Cr speciation was in good agreement with the certified value. This MSPE-GFAAS method has been successfully applied for the speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in lake and tap waters with the recoveries of 88-109% for the spiked samples. Moreover, the MSPE separation mechanism of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) based on their adsorption-desorption on Zincon-Si-MNPs has been explained through various spectroscopic characterization.

A new protocol using zincon-immobilized silica-coated magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (Zincon-Si-MNPs) as solid-phase extraction (SPE) medium has been developed for the separation and preconcentration of trace lead in water. Various parameters such as pH, extraction time, concentration and volume of eluent, sample volume, and influence of co-existing ions have been investigated in order to establish the optimum conditions for the determination of lead in combination with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The detection limit (LOD) of the proposed method for lead based on an enrichment factor of 200 was 10 ng L(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs, n=5) were 8.3%, 7.8% and 9.2%, respectively, at 5, 0.5 and 0.05 ng mL(-1) levels. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of trace lead in natural and drinking water samples and the recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 84-104%.

Long-term interactions between vegetation succession and soil quality in alfalfa fields were investigated in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. The successional ecosystem is composed of six different planting-year alfalfa fields (namely, 3–5–9–15–21–25 years). The yield, cover, and height of alfalfa increased from 194 g dry hay m−2, 55.6%, and 52.8 cm in the 3-year stage to 406 g dry hay m−2, 85.5%, and 72.5 cm in the 9-year stage, respectively. Subsequently, they tended to decrease and reached their respective minimum levels at the 25-year stage. The density of alfalfa continued to decrease but the plant species richness increased with successional age. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), microbial biomass C-to-N ratio and soil basal respiration (BR) at 0–20 cm soil depth decreased steadily from 3 years to 9 years, but increased from 15 years to 25 years. The values for metabolic quotient (qCO2) were the opposite of the above four parameters along the succession gradient....

The dynamics of the soil organic carbon pool and soil fertility were studied in soils with different number of growing years of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) in the semiarid Loess Plateau of China. The soil water content and soil water potential decreased and the depth of desiccated layers grew with the number of growing years of alfalfa. The soil organic C (SOC) cannot be enhanced on short timescales in these unfertilized and mowed-alfalfa grasslands in the topsoil, but the light fraction of organic C (LFOC), soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and microbial biomass N (MBN) all increased with the number of growing years. When alfalfa had been growing for more than 13 yr, the soil MBC increased slowly, suggesting that the MBC value is likely to reach a constant level. SOC, soil total P (STP), available P (AvaiP) and the ratio of SOC to soil total N (C/N) all decreased monotonically with the growing years of alfalfa up to 13 yr and then increased. SOC was significantly positively correlated with STP, AvaiP, soil total C (STC) and soil total N (STN) ( R =0.627**, 0.691**, 0.497*, 0.546*, respectively). MBC and LFOC were significantly positively correlated with the number of growing years of alfalfa ( R =0.873*** and 0.521*, respectively), and LFOC was more sensitive to vegetation components, degree of cover and landform than to the number of years of growth. SOC showed a significant negative correlation with LFOC/SOC and MBC/SOC ( R =−0.689**, −0.693**, respectively). A significant positive correlation exists between MBC and soil inorganic C (SIC). LFOC, MBC, LFOC/SOC and MBC/SOC were all significantly positively correlated with each other. Therefore, practices that involve water-harvesting technologies and add residues and phosphate fertilizer to soils should be promoted to improve soil nutrients and hydration and to postpone the degradation of alfalfa grasslands under long-term alfalfa production.