HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Felbeck, G. T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Felbeck, G. T., Jr. Agricola Articles by Felbeck, G. T.

Studies on the High Pressure Hydrogenolysis of the Organic Matter from a Muck Soil¹

ABSTRACT

About 80% (on the basis of C content) of the organic matter from a muck soil was degraded by a combination of acid hydrolysis and high pressure hydrogenolysis. Approximately 31% of the total organic C was dissolved by hydrolysis with dilute H₂SO₄ at 90 C. Hydrogenolysis rendered 47% of the total organic C soluble in benzene, with the remainder either converted to a gaseous form (1%) or to an insoluble residue (21%). Particular interest was given to the fraction soluble in benzene as it was thought to represent the breakdown products of the skeletal structure of the nonhydrolyzable fraction of the organic matter.

A normal hydrocarbon of about C₂₅ length, representing 1.2% of the total organic matter carbon, was isolated from the hydrogenation products.

From these observations and other data it is suggested that part of the nonhydrolyzable organic fraction of a muck soil representing the source of the normal C₂₅ hydrocarbon consisted of chains of unsaturated, O-containing heterocyclic compounds connected by a-a' C-C bonds. Part of the nonhydrolyzable N in the organic matter possibly exists in the tertiary amine state, and it is probably protected from attack by steric hindrance.

¹ Published as Miscellaneous Paper No. 475 with the approval of the Director of the Delaware Agr. Exp. Sta. Contribution from the Department of Agronomy. Funds for this research were provided by Andelot, Inc., through the University of Delaware Research Foundation. Part of this report was presented before Div. S-3, Soil Science Society of America, Nov. 19, 1963, Denver, Colo.

² Formerly Associate Research Professor of Agronomy and Chemistry, University of Delaware. Present address: Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, R. I.

Received for publication June 5, 1964. Accepted for publication September 28, 1964.