Laboratory methods

Below are details of some of the laboratory methods that we use. No responsibility is taken for their accuracy or precision, but feel free to e-mail suggestions as to how methods might be improved.

General

• Cellulose extraction from wood
• Methanol/chloroform/water extraction of freeze dried leaves/roots

Soil

• Determination of soil pH
• Persulfate digestion
• Potassium chloride extraction of fresh soil (1 M KCl)

Capillary electrophoresis with UV-Vis or LIF detection

• Amino acids (underivatized) + sugars, inorganic anions and organic acids
• Inorganic anions and organic acids
• Metal cations and ammonium
• Rubisco

Capillary electrophoresis- mass spectrometry

• coming soon!

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

• Derivatisation of amino acids with MTBSTFA (t-BDMS derivatives)
• Derivatisation of polar metabolites with MSTFA (MEOX TMS derivatives)
• GC-(EI)-MS analysis of t-BDMS derivatives of amino acids
• GC-(EI)-MS analysis of MEOX TMS derivatives
• GC-(CH4 CI)-MS analysis of MEOX TMS derivatives

Microplate methods

• Amino acids (total) by ninhydrin
• Ammonium
• Nitrite & nitrate

Spectrophotometer

• Ammonium
• Chlorophylls
• Nitrate
• Phosphorus
• Starch & soluble sugars with anthrone reagent