To assess soil-to-plant transfer of various elements more precisely, the concentrations of the elements extracted from soil samples using eight chemical solutions were compared with the results of a pot cultivation experiment of komatsuna (Brassica rapa L. var. perviridis) or buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) using the soils. From agricultural fields in Aomori, Japan, 16 soil samples were collected. Elements in the samples were extracted using acids (1 mol L−1 HNO3, 0.1 mol L−1 HNO3, 0.01 mol L−1 HNO3), chelating agents (0.05 mol L−1 EDTA), neutral salt solutions (1 mol L−1 NH4OAc, 1 mol L−1 NH4NO3, 0.01 mol L−1 CaCl2) and pure water. The 28 elements in the extracted solutions and plant samples were determined. The extractability of many metals was higher in 1 mol L−1 HNO3, 0.1 mol L−1 HNO3 and the 0.05 mol L−1 EDTA solutions than in the other extractants. Higher extractability using the NH4OAc solution than the NH4NO3 solution was observed for some elements, in particular U. Extractability by ...

A non-destructive analysis method for total bromine (Br) and iodine (I) contents in soil was established using polarizing energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectrometry. The matrix-corrected intensity of Br and I Kα X-rays from pressed pellets of soil powder samples was calibrated with their contents measured by inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-mass spectrometry after pyrohydrolysis preparation. The calibration curves for Br and I were successfully obtained in the concentration ranges 3.8–223 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.91–54 mg kg⁻¹ respectively. Repeated analyses of the same sample with polarizing EDXRF spectrometry within one day and after approximately 1.5 years showed good reproducibility of the measurement results. The lower limits of detection for Br and I were 0.14 mg kg⁻¹and 0.34 mg kg⁻¹ respectively. The established analytical method for total Br and I contents in soil is non-destructive, simple and rapid, and is suitable for routine analysis. Trace elements such as rubidium (Rb), strontium (Sr), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), antimony (Sb), caesium (Cs), barium (Ba), light rare earth elements and lead (Pb) were also measurable simultaneously under the identical operational conditions as those for Br and I measurements.