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Soil Organic Matter: I. Electrophoretic Separation of Acid-Resistant Components¹

ABSTRACT

Two acid-resistant fractions were isolated from three soils, a Sims clay loam, a Houston Black clay, and a Xenia silt loam. The fractions were separated by paper electrophoresis and analyzed for functional groups by infrared spectra. One component was a dark-colored nonfluorescent material and the other a yellow fluorescent water-soluble material. Chemical analysis of the darker humic acid obtained from the Xenia silt loam gave the following results: C, 52.48%; O, 38.38%; H, 4.65%; N, 1.98%. This material was found to contain 6.7% methoxy groups. Infrared spectra of the two fractions showed them having a different structure, but both materials were throught to contain hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. The N content of the dark-colored fraction separated by electrophoresis was 1.98% for the Xenia and Sims soils and 1.79% for the Houston soil. Because of the similarity of these materials in infrared spectra and N content, it is believed that these acids are of fundamental importance in the structure of soil organic matter.

¹ Contribution from Wilmington College: This work was made possible by a research grant from the C. F. Kettering Foundation. Presented before Div. III, Soil Science Society of America, Aug. 4, 1958, at Lafayette, Ind.

² Assistant Professor in Biology, Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio. The author wishes to thank Dr. H. V. Knorr, of the Kettering Foundation, for his help in the infrared studies.

Received for publication October 21, 1958. Accepted for publication February 2, 1959.