Abstract
Safety is the prime consideration when performing any work in the laboratory. Chapter 1 reviews salient considerations. Once samples have been collected and taken to the laboratory, they can be treated in a variety of ways depending on the type of sample and the information required from subsequent laboratory studies. Because the sample treatments required depend on the type of analytical work planned, it is important to consider what analytical work is necessary before deciding how to treat the samples. A flowchart showing some of the alternative analytical sequences that could be applied is shown in Fig. 5–1. The following sections of this chapter describe some of the most common sample treatments.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Selected Bibliography
Pretreatment of Sediment Samples (see also general laboratory books listed in Chapter 1)
Anderson, J. U., 1963, Effects of pretreatments on soil dispersion. New Mexico State College Agricultural Experimental Station Research Report 78, 14p.
Bodine, M. W., Jr., and T. H. Fernald, 1973, EDTA dissolution of gypsum, anhydrite, and Ca-Mg carbonates. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 43:1152–6.
Bouma, A. H., 1969, Methods for the Study of Sedimentary Structures. Wiley-Interscience, New York, 458p.
Brewer, R., 1964, Fabric and Mineral Analysis of Soils. Wiley, New York.
Charm, W. B., 1967, Freeze drying as a rapid method of disaggregating silts and clays for dry particle size analysis. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 37:970–1.
Drosdorff, M., and E. Truog, 1935, A method for removing iron oxide from minerals. American Mineralogist 20:669–73.
Edwards, A. P., and J. M. Bremner, 1965, Dispersion of soil particles by sonic vibrations. Journal of Soil Science 18:47–63.
Felix, C. J., 1963, Mechanical sample disaggregation in palynology. Micropaleontology 9:337–9.
French, D. H., S. S. J. Warne, and M. T. Sheedy, 1984, The use of ion-exchange resins for the dissolution of carbonates. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 54:641–3.
Funkhouser, J. W., and W. R. Evitt, 1959, Preparation techniques for acid-insoluble microfossils. Micropaleontology 5:369–75.
Gipson, M. J., 1963, Ultrasonic disaggregation of shale. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 33:955–8.
Glover, E. D., 1961, Method of solution of calcareous material using the complexing agent EDTA. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 31:622–26.
Kerrigan, G. C., 1971, A sample preparation device for X-ray fluorescence. Journal of Physical and Earth Sciences Instruments 4:544–5.
Kravitz, J. H., 1966, Using an ultrasonic disruptor as an aid to wet sieving. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 36:811–2.
Krumbein, W. C., 1933, Dispersion of fine grained sediments for mechanical analysis. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 3:121–35.
Kunze, G. W., 1965, Pretreatment for mineralogical analysis. in C. A. Black (ed.), Methods of Soil Analysis, vol. 1, American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Madison, Wisc. pp. 568–77.
Leith, C. J., 1950, Removal of iron oxide coatings from mineral grains. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 20:174–6.
Milner, H. B., 1962, Methods in Sedimentary Petrography, vol. 1. Allen & Unwin, London, 643p.
Mitchell, B. D., and R. C. MacKenzie, 1954, Removal of free iron oxide from clays. Soil Science 77:173–84.
Moston, R. P., and A. I. Johnson, 1964, Ultrasonic dispersion of samples of sedimentary deposits. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 501-C, pp. C159–60.
Mueller, G., 1967, Methods in Sedimentary Petrology, H.-U. Schmincke (trans.). Hafner, New York.
Nelsen, T. A., 1983, Time- and method-dependent size distributions of fine-grained sediments. Sedimentology 30:249–59.
Overbey, W. K., Jr., and B. R. Henniger, 1970, Disaggregation of sandstones by ultrasonic energy. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 40:465–72.
Percival, S. F., Jr., E. D. Glover, and L. B. Gibson, 1963, Carbonate rocks: Cleaning with suspensions of hydrogen ion exchange resins. Science 142:1456–7.
Prokopovich, N. P., and C. D. Nish, 1967, Methodology of mechanical analysis of subaqueous sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 37:96–101.
Savage, E. L., 1969, Ultrasonic disaggregation of sandstones and siltstones. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 39:375–8.
Suczek, C. A., 1983, Disaggregation of quartzite. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 53:672–3.
Sulcek, Z., and P. Povondra, 1989, Methods of Decomposition in Inorganic Analysis. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla., 368p.
Tchillingarian, G., 1952, Study of the dispersing agents. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 22:229–33.
Tolmachoff, I., 1932, Crystallization of certain salts used for the disintegration of shales. Science 76:147–8.
Troell, E., 1931, The use of sodium hypobromite for the oxidation of organic matter in mechanical analyses of soils. Journal of Agricultural Science 21:476–84.
Truog, E., J. R. Taylor, R. W. Pearson, M. E. Weeks, and R. W. Simonson, 1937, Procedure for special type of mechanical and mineralogical soil analysis. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 1:101–12.
Walker, P. H., and J. Hutka, 1973, Grain fragmentation in preparing samples for particle size analysis. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 37:278–80.
Zingula, R. P., 1968, A new breakthrough in sample washing. Journal of Paleontology 42:1092.
Grain Mount and Thin-Section Preparation
Ashley, G. M., 1973, Impregnation of fine-grained sediments with a polyester resin: A modification of Altemuller’s method. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 43:298–301.
Awadallah, S. A., 1991, A simple technique for vacuum impregnation of unconsolidated, fine-grained sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 61:632–3.
Carver, R. E., 1971, Procedures in Sedimentary Petrology. Wiley-Interscience, New York, 653p.
Chiou, W. A., L. E. Shephard, W. R. Bryant, and M. A. Looney III, 1983, A technique for preparing highwater content clayey sediments for thin and ultrathin section study. Sedimentology 30:295–9.
Conway, J. S., 1982, A simplified method for impregnation of soils and similar clay-rich sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 52:650–1.
Crevello, P. D., J. M. Rine, and D. E. Lanesky, 1981, A method for impregnating unconsolidated cores and slabs of calcareous and terrigenous muds. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 51:658–60.
Franklin, J. A., 1969, Rock impregnation using monomers, epoxide, and unsaturated polyester resins. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 39:1251–3.
Gardner, K. L., 1980, Impregnation technique using colored epoxy to define porosity in petrographic thin sections. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 17:1104–7.
Ginsburg, R. N., H. A. Bernard, R. A. Moody, and E. E. Daigle, 1966, The Shell method of impregnating cores of unconsolidated sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 36:1118–25.
Jim, C. Y., 1985, Impregnation of moist and dry unconsolidated clay samples using Spurr resin for microstructural studies. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 55:597–9.
Jordan, C. F., Jr., and C. D. Roady, 1987, A practical method for preparing thin sections of well cuttings. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 57:759–60.
Lindholm, R. C., and D. A. Dean, 1973, Ultra-thin sections in carbonate petrology: A valuable tool. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 43:295–7.
Lumsden, D. N., 1979, Discrepancy between thin-section and X-ray estimates of dolomite in limestone. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 49:429–36.
Marshall, C. E., and C. D. Jeffries, 1946, Mineralogical methods in soil research: I. The correlation of soil types and parent materials with supplementary information on weathering processes. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 10:397–405.
Martin, R., P. E. Litz, and W. D. Huff, 1979, A new technique for making thin sections of clayey sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 49:641–3.
Middleton, L. T., and M. J. Kraus, 1980, Simple technique for thin-section preparation of unconsolidated materials. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 50:622–3.
Minoura, N., and C. D. Lonley, 1971, Technique for impregnating porous rock samples with low-viscosity epoxy resin. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 41:858–61.
Nentwich, F. W., and R. W. Yole, 1991, Polished thin section preparation of fine-grained siliciclastic rocks. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 61:624–26.
Orlansky, R., 1968, Method for making slides of fine-grained unconsolidated sediment and ooze. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 38:1378.
Palmer, S. N., and M. E. Barton, 1986, Avoiding microfabric disruption during the impregnation of friable, uncemented sands with dyed epoxy. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 56:556–7.
Reed, F. S., and J. L. Mergner, 1953, Preparation of rock thin sections. American Mineralogist 38:1184–1203.
Socci, A., 1980, A method for dry and semi-dry thin-sectioning of certain water-sensitive rocks. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 50:621–2.
Teague, T., 1989, An improved technique for polishing difficult geological materials using a colloidal silica suspension. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 59:635.
Tucker, M. (ed.), 1988, Techniques in Sedimentology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 394p.
Waldo, A. W., and S. T. Yuster, 1922, Method of impregnating porous materials to facilitate pore studies. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 21:259–67.
Yanguas, J. E., and S. T. Paxton, 1986, A new technique for preparation of petrographic thin sections using ultraviolet-curing adhesive. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 56:539–40.
Microfossil Extraction
Barss, M. S., and G. L. Williams, 1973, Palynology and nannofossil processing techniques, Geological Survey of Canada Paper 73–26, pp. 1–25.
Dettman, M. E., 1963, Upper Mesozoic microfloras from south-eastern Australia. Royal Society of Victoria Proceedings 77:11–2.
Phipps, D., and G. Playford, 1984, Laboratory techniques for extraction of palynomorphs from sediments. Department of Geology, University of Queensland, Papers 11:1–23.
Wolf, K. H., A. J. Easton, and S. Warne, 1967, Techniques of examining and analyzing carbonate skeletons, minerals and rocks. In G. Chilingar, H. J. Bissell, and R. W. Fairbridge (eds.), Carbonate Rocks, Developments in Sedimentology 9B, Elsevier, New York, pp. 253–341.
Coal Sample Treatment
ASTM, 1987, Annual Book of ASTM Standards, vol. 05.05. Gaseous Fuels; Coal and Coke. American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia.
International Committee for Coal Petrography Handbook, 1971, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris.
Stach, E., M.-Th. Mackowsky, M. Teichmuller, R. Teichmuller, G. H. Taylor, and D. Chandra, 1982, Coal Petrology. Gebruder Borntraeger, Berlin.
Ward, C. R. (ed.), 1984, Coal Geology and Coal Technology. Blackwell, Melbourne, 345p.
Chemical Analysis Methodology
Bernas, B., 1968, A new method for decomposition and comprehensive analysis of silicates by atomic absorption spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry 42:1682–6.
Bernhard, M., F. E. Brinckman, and P. J. Sadler (eds.), 1986, The Importance of Chemical “Speciation” in Environmental Processes. Life Sciences Research Report 33, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 762p.
Bray, R. M., and L. T. Kurtz, 1945, Determination of total organic and available forms of phosphorus in soils. Soil Science 59:39–45.
Campbell, P. G. C., and A. Tessier, 1987, Current status of metal speciation studies. In J. W. Patterson and R. Pussino (eds.), Metal Speciation, Separation and Recovery. Lewis Publishers Inc., Chelsea, Mich., pp. 201–24.
Chao, T. T., 1984, Use of partial dissolution techniques in geochemical exploration. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 20:101–35.
Chester, R., and M. J. Hughes, 1967, A chemical technique for the separation of ferro-manganese minerals, carbonate minerals, and adsorbed trace elements from pelagic sediments. Chemical Geology 2:233–48.
Cooper, B. S., and R. C. Harris, 1974, Heavy metals in organic phases of river and estuarine sediments. Marine Pollution Bulletin 5:24–6.
Cremer, M., and J. Schlocker, 1976, Lithium borate decomposition of rocks, minerals and ores. American Mineralogist 61:318–21.
Deurer, R., U. Förstner, and G. Schmoll, 1978, Selective chemical extraction of carbonate-associated metals from recent lacustrine sediments. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 42:425–7.
Duff, S. J., G. W. Hay, R. K. Micklethwaite, and G. W. Vanloon, 1989, Distribution and classification of metal species in soil leachates. Science of the Total Environment 87/88:189–97.
Engler, R. M., J. M. Brannon, J. Rose, and G. Bigham, 1977, A practical selective extraction procedure for sediment characterization. In T. F. Yen (ed.), Chemistry of Marine Sediments. Science Publishers, Ann Arbor, pp. 163–80.
Fabbi, B. P., 1978, Geology. In H. K. Herglotz and L. S. Birks (eds.), X-ray Spectrometry. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp. 297–353.
Förstner, U., 1989, Contaminated Sediments. Lecture Notes in Earth Science, No. 21. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. 157p.
Förstner, U., and G. T. W. Wittmann, 1981, Metal Pollution in the Aquatic Environment. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 486p.
Gibbs, R. J., 1977, Transport phases of transition metals in the Amazon and Yukon rivers. Geological Society of America Bulletin 88:829–43.
Gillman, G. P., and E. A. Sumpter, 1986, Modification to the compulsive exchange method for measuring exchange characteristics of soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research 24:61–6.
Gupta, S. K., and K. Y. Chen, 1975, Partitioning of trace metals in selective chemical fractions of near-shore sediments. Environmental Letters 10:129–58.
Harvey, P. K., and B. P. Atkin, 1982, Automated X-ray fluorescence analysis. In Sampling and Analysis for the Mining Industry. Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, London, pp. 17–26.
Holmgren, G. G. S., 1967, A rapid citrate-dithionite extractable iron procedure. Soil Science Society of America Proceedings 31:210–1.
Hutton, J. T., and S. M. Elliott, 1980, An accurate XRF method for the analysis of geochemical exploration samples for major and trace elements using one glass disc. Chemical Geology 29:1–11.
Ingamells, C. O., 1970, Lithium metaborate flux in silicate analysis. Anales Chimica Acta 52:323–34.
Jackson, M. L., 1958, Soil Chemical Analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 498p.
Kersten, M., and U. Förstner, 1986, Chemical fractionation of heavy metals in anoxic estuarine and coastal sediments. Water Science and Technology 18:121–30.
Khalid, R. A., R. P. Grambrell, and W. H. Patrick, 1981, Chemical availability of cadmium in Mississippi River sediment. Journal of Environmental Quality 10:523–8.
Lee, R. F., and D. M. McConchie, 1982, Comprehensive major and trace element analysis of geological material by X-ray fluorescence using low dilution fusion. X-ray Spectrometry 11:55–63.
Lindsay, W. L., and W. A. Norvell, 1978, Development of a DTPA soil test for zinc, iron, manganese, and copper. Soil Science Society of America Journal 42:421–8.
Lord, C. J., 1982, A selective and precise method for pyrite determination in sedimentary materials. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 52:664–6.
Louma, S. N., 1990, Processes affecting metal concentrations in estuarine and coastal marine sediments. In R. W. Furness and P. S. Rainbow (eds.), Heavy Metals in the Marine Environment. C.R.C. Press, Boca Raton, Fla., pp. 51–65.
McConchie, D. M., and V. J. Harriott, 1992, The partitioning of metals between tissue and skeletal parts of corals: Application in pollution monitoring. Proceedings of the International Coral Reef Symposium, Guam.
Morris, R. C., and W. E. Ewers, 1978, A simple streak print technique for mapping mineral distributions in ores and other rocks. Economic Geology 73:562–6.
Norrish, K., and J. T. Hutton, 1969, An accurate X-ray spectrographic method for the analysis of a wide range of geological samples. Geochimica Cosmochimica Acta 33:431–53.
Rapin, R., and U. Förstner, 1983, Sequential leaching techniques for particulate metal speciation: The selectivity of various extractants. In Proceedings 4th International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment, Heidelberg, pp. 1074–7.
Rapin, F., A. Tessier, P. G. C. Campbell, and R. Carigan, 1986, Potential artifacts in the determination of metal partitioning in sediments by a sequential extraction procedure. Environmental Science and Technology 20:826–40.
Ruzyla, K., and D. I. Jezek, 1987, Staining method for recognition of pore space in thin and polished sections. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 57:777–8.
Tessier, A., P. G. C. Campbell, and M. Bisson, 1979, Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Analytical Chemistry 51:844–50.
Tessier, A., P. G. C. Campbell, and M. Bisson, 1982, Particulate trace metal speciation in stream sediments and relationships with grain size: Implications for geochemical exploration. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 16:77–104.
Thomas, I. L., and M. T. Haukka, 1978, XRF determination of trace and major elements using a single-fused disc. Chemical Geology 21:39–50.
Van Eenbergen, A., and E. Bruninx, 1978, Losses of elements during sample decomposition in an acid-digestion bomb. Analytica Chimica Acta 98:405–6.
Volkov, I. I., and L. S. Formina, 1974, Influence of organic material and processes of sulphide formation on distribution of some trace elements in deep-water sediments of Black Sea. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 20:456–76.
Yanguas, J. E., and J. J. Dravis, 1985, Blue fluorescent dye technique for recognition of microporosity in sedimentary rocks. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 55:600–2.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lewis, D.W., McConchie, D. (1994). Sample Treatment in the Laboratory. In: Analytical Sedimentology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2636-0_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-2636-0_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-6131-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-2636-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive