ISSN:
1432-1130
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Abstract Fractions of humic acids, resolved by ultrafiltration of extracts from a sample of peat treated with alkaline pyrophosphate solution, have been submitted to high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, with the aim of determining the molecular weight distributions. Anomalous peaks, located at retention volumes higher than those corresponding to the main signal, are present in the elution profiles relative to the lightest fractions. These peaks are more intense when using a refractive index detector rather than a UV detector. Elemental analysis data for the lightest fractions suggested that the spurious peaks are due to the presence of inorganic material. The hypothesis that pyrophosphate interacts with humic acids in the course of the extraction has been confirmed by colorimetric determination of the phosphorus content in the different fractions. As a consequence, the extraction procedure has been modified by using 0.1 mol/L NaOH as extractant. The average molecular weights of the various fractions, following NaOH extraction, result in substantial agreement with those obtained following pyrophosphate solution extraction (if the ‘pyrophosphate peaks’ present in the chromatographic profile are discarded in the calculations).
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s002160050631
Permalink