SECTION 6 
MICROBIAL TRANSFORMATION OF TIN 
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES 
Sampling 
Samples were taken in the Chester River at Buoy Rock (lati¬ 
tude 38°59'33"N, longitude 76°12'27"W), which is a productive 
bar; at Spaniard Bar (latitude 30 o 05'57"N, longitude 76°08 1 55"W), 
which has experienced extensive oyster mortality starting in 
1974; at the outfall from the Tenneco plant near Chestertown and 
in the Tenneco holding pond near the pond's outlet (latitude 
39°15'00"N / longitude 76°02'30"W); at the outfall from the 
Chestertown sewage treatment plant at the edge of Morgan Creek 
(latitude 39°12'00"N, longitude 76°04'15"W); and at the Campbell 
factory near Chestertown (latitude 39°14'03"N, longitude 
76"12'21"W). Three sampling excursions were taken in the period 
September 1977 through July 1979. 
For comparison, some samples were taken in Baltimore Harbor 
(latitude 39°13'57"N, longitude 76°30'16"W), which was expected 
to be polluted with heavy metals, and other samples were taken 
near Tilghman Island (latitude 39°40'64"N, longitude 76°23'16"W), 
an area expected to be relatively free of pollution by heavy 
metals. Samples from the two Chester River sites, from Baltimore 
Harbor, and from the site near Tilghman Island were considered 
estuarine samples; samples from other sites were considered fresh¬ 
water samples. 
At each site, water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved 
oxygen were determined. Methods are given in Appendix C. 
Water samples were taken with a Kemmerer bottle. Concentra¬ 
ted HC1 (0.5 ml) was added to each 200-ml water sample to keep 
metals in solution. This brought the pH to 1.8 to 1.9. Prior 
to chemical analysis, the pH of each sample was adjusted to 2.0 
with 1 N NaOH. Sediment samples were collected with a Van Veen 
dredge. A plastic corer was used to obtain material which had 
not touched the metal walls of the dredge. Samples were taken 
from the top centimeter of the core, and the remainder of the 
core was sliced into 1-cm bands which were frozen and will be 
maintained frozen for possible future use. 
87 
