Introduction

Total Organic Carbon (TOC) is a rapid method that analyzes for organic carbon and expresses the result as the amount of carbon found. It is a non-specific method unable to distinguish between various organic species and only indicating that organic carbon compounds are present. Organic carbon analyzers operate by the determination of the amount of total carbon present in a sample aliquot. Total carbon consists of inorganic and organic carbon. The inorganic carbon, present as carbonate or bicarbonate ions, must be removed or quantified prior to the analysis of organic carbon. Once the inorganic carbon is removed, subsequent analysis of the sample aliquot assumes that all carbon remaining is organic.

Discussion

Methodology used to remove inorganic carbon relies on acidification that converts all bicarbonate and carbonate ions to carbon dioxide that is then purged out of the sample using an inert gas. If quantification of inorganic carbon is desired it is purged into a detector, otherwise, it is vented to atmosphere. Once the inorganic carbon is removed the remaining organic carbon is oxidized to carbon dioxide that is purged by the inert gas into the detector. Read the rest of this entry »

Agricultural specialists and home gardeners alike often debate the benefits of organic versus chemical fertilizers. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with each type, but it is necessary to understand the differences between them before wading into the argument.

The term ‘organic fertilizer’ refers to materials that contain nutrients that are obtained from the byproducts or remains of an organism. Cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, manure, sewage sludge, and cottonseed meal are examples of organic fertilizers. These substances are naturally high in phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium, which are the three chief nutrients required for plant growth. These types of fertilizer rely on microorganisms living in the soil to break them down so they can release these nutrients.

In contrast, chemical fertilizers are plant nutrients that are produced synthetically from inorganic materials. Many contain acids that can hard the soil’s natural population of microorganisms. Because of this, they have the potential to stunt the growth of plants.

A major problem faced by the home gardener arises from nutrient deficiencies in the target soils. An advantage of fertilizers over organic types is that they contain all three of the most important nutrients – phosphorous, potassium, and nitrogen. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, either have high levels of one of these critical nutrients or low levels of all three. Read the rest of this entry »

Hoodia swept the nation by storm when Leslie Stahl and her crew traveled to South Africa to determine whether a little succulent plant could actually suppress appetite for days at a time, with virtually no side effects. Leslie tried it personally. She stated she experienced absolutely no hunger the entire day, nor any thirst. Furthermore, she did not have the jitters the following day, and did not experience any unpleasant side-effects that are so common with today’s diet pills.

Ms. Stahl was following the lead on a story that first reached Europe in 1937, when a Dutch anthropologist observed the San Bushmen eating the leaves of this cactus-like plant before embarking upon a hunting trek. For two days these Bushmen traveled over a hot and pitiless desert, without the aid of food or water. For nearly thirty years, little interest, if any, was shown in the tiny plant. During that era, pharmaceutical companies were busy creating potent drugs in chemical labs, that had very little to do with organic chemistry.

In 1963, scientists began re-examining Hoodia and by 1995 had isolated what they consider the active component, P-57. P-57 is said to be a steroidal glucose that attaches itself to that portion of the brain that controls hunger. The mechanics of how it suppresses appetite are still unknown. I spite of the fact that the pharmaceutical company, Phytopharm, (the original company attempting to develop a Hoodia diet drug), sub-licensed its research and development rights to Pfizer in 1998, no diet drugs were produced. In fact, Pfizer eventually lost interest and reassigned its rights back to Phytopharm, who is now working with Unilever on the project. Read the rest of this entry »