Strontium, Arsenic, Organic matter, and Amino acid of the Phosphate Ores in the Ryukyu Islands.

Recently, the present author reported that the phosphate ores in the Ryukyu Islands were different from those which are found in other regions with respect to the amount of zinc, and other minor constituents as well as to the crystal size of apatite.In this paper, the contents of strontium, arsenic, organic matter, and amino acid were determined from the standpoint of geochemical behavior. The alteration process of phosphate ores was also discussed.Strontium was determined flamephotometrically. Arsenic was determined colorimetrically by the heteropoly molybdenum blue method after distillation. Organic matter was determined by oxidation reduction titration with potassium dichromate. Amino acid was analysed qualitatively by two-dimensional paper chromatography and thin layer chromatography with both phenol buthyl alcohol and acetic acid as developing reagents. The average content of strontium was O.56 % in the Ryukyu Islands, and O.83 % in the South Pacific Ocean Islands. However, the average value of SrO/CaO ,was nearly 0.015 in these two groups of islands. The average contents of arsenic in the phosphate ores was 7 ppm in the Ryukyu Islands whereas in the South Pacific Ocean Islands it was as much as 16 ppm. A relationship between arsenic and iron+alminum contents showed a clear positive corralation. Thus, both iron and aluminum seem to be a factor to concentrate the arsenic into phosphate ores. Also, in the case of Bat Guano with contrary to arsenic which behaves like as both iron and alminum.The contents of organic matter in phosphate ores closely related to the kinds of amino acid. As an example, in the case of the high content of organic matter, amino acid was composed mainly of leucine, valine, alanine, cystine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine, proline and phenyl-alanine. In the case of low organic matter content,they were comprised phenyl-alanine, proline, arginine, aspartic acid, alanine,valine and leucine. The kinds of amino acid decrease with decrease of the contents of organic matter, and become one of the later parts of amino acid arrangement described above