Total Nitrogen

The following information provides general guidelines for the analysis of Kjeldahl nitrogen according to the direct distillation method. The procedure described is applicable to all sample types. When a solid sample in an alkaline solution is steam distilled, some of the nitrogen in the proteins will be converted to ammonia. The ammonia will be liberated and can be collected in a receiver solution and determined by titration. The liberation of nitrogen is not quantitative and is strongly dependent on sample type and sample preparation technique used.