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Behavior of Soil Humic Acids Towards Oxidation With Hydrogen Peroxide¹

ABSTRACT

Humic acids from two Brunizem soils were oxidized with a view to obtaining and detecting intermediate products which would provide clues to their structures. A comparison of optimum conditions for the production of intermediate products showed that humic acid extracted from soil with 0.1M sodium pyrophosphate (pH 9.0) was more susceptible to oxidation than humic acid extracted with 0.5N NaOH. Intermediate products obtained from pyrophosphate humic acid by oxidation were different chemically from those derived from alkali humic acid.

Paper partition chromatography of the low molecular weight acids obtained by oxidation, as well as column chromatography on silicic acid, failed to reveal the presence of the common aliphatic and benzenoid acids. In one preparation, phthalic and trimesic acids were identified tentatively by paper chromatography. Evidence obtained indicated that the intermediate products were polycarboxylic.

The intermediate products formed by H₂O₂ oxidation of humic acids contained N, suggesting that humic acids contain N as part of their molecular structures. Ultraviolet analyses of the intermediate products failed to reveal the presence of azo- or diazo-N compounds, or of constituents which contain heterocyclic 6-membered ring N.

Contribution from the Department of Agronomy, University of Illinois, Urbana. Published with the approval of the Director of the Illinois Agr. Exp. Sta. This investigation was supported in part by Consolidated Hatch Act Regional Research Funds, as a contributing project to Regional Project NC-17.

² Graduate student in Agronomy and Associate Professor in Soil Biology, respectively.

Received for publication April 18, 1960. Accepted for publication May 17, 1960.