Ronald L. Malcolm

Preparative isolation of aquatic humic substances

The drop impact sampler developed by the Bureau of Mines is based on the stain technique for measuring airborne drops. The stain technique requires a calibration curve to relate stain and drop diameters a t a known impact velocity, usually the terminal value. However, physical constraints limit sampler location, making it difficult to attain the terminal value and thereby introducing complications; extrapolation of a calibration curve based on the spherical quiescent model to large drops results in an erroneously large diameter. The new sampler eliminates these difficulties and in addition makes it possible to determine rates of depositions and spatial concentrations. The sampler can measure drop diameters ranging from 0.005 to 2.5 mm and is suitable for water sprays, raindrops, and carry-over drops such as from cooling towers. Laboratory tests have shown that the sampler is reliable, rugged, lightweight, and easy to use.

The contribution of humic substances to the acidity of colored natural waters

Abstract An operationally defined carboxyl content of humic substances extracted from rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands, and groundwaters throughout the United States and Canada is reported. Despite the diversity of the samples, only small variations were observed in this humic carboxyl content. The dissociation behavior of two combined fulvic/humic acid extracts was studied and it was found that the dissociation of the humics varied in a predictable manner with pH. Using a carboxyl content of 10 μeq/ mg humic organic carbon, and mass action quotient calculated from sample pH, the ionic balances of three highly colored Nova Scotia rivers were estimated.

The uniqueness of humic substances in each of soil, stream and marine environments

Abstract Definitive compositional differences are shown to exist for both fulvic acids and humic acids from soil, stream and marine environments by five different methods (1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, 14C age and δ13C isotopic analyses, amino acid analyses and pyrolysis-mass spectrometry). Definitive differences are also found between fulvic acids and humic acids within each environment. These differences among humic substances from various sources are more readily discerned because the method employed for the isolation of humic substances from all environments excludes most of the non-humic components and results in more purified humic isolates from water and soils. The major compositional aspects of fulvic acids and humic acids which determine the observed characteristic differences in each environment are the amounts and composition of saccharide, phenolic, methoxyl, aromatic, hydrocarbon, amino acids and nitrogen moieties.

Limitations in the use of commercial humic acids in water and soil research

Seven samples of commercial humic acids, purchased from five different suppliers, were studied, and their characteristics were compared with humic and fulvic acids isolated from streams, soils, peat, leonardite, and a dopplerite sample. Cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning /sup 13/C NMR spectroscopy clearly shows pronounced differences between the commercial materials and all other samples. Elemental and infrared spectroscopic data do not show such clear-cut differences but can be used as supportive evidence, with the /sup 13/C NMR data, to substantiate the above distinctions. As a result of these differences and due to the general lack of information relating to the source, method of isolation, or other pretreatment of the commercial materials, these commercial products are not considered to be appropriate for use as analogues of true soil and water humic substances, in experiments designed to evaluate the nature and reactivity of humic substances in natural waters and soils.

Molecular size of aquatic humic substances

Abstract Aquatic humic substances, which account for 30 to 50% of the organic carbon in water, are a principal component of aquatic organic matter. The molecular size of aquatic humic substances, determined by small-angle X-ray scattering, varies from 4.7 to 33 A in their radius of gyration, corresponding to a molecular weight range of 500 to greater than 10,000. The aquatic fulvic acid fraction contains substances with molecular weights ranging from 500 to 2000 and is monodisperse, whereas the aquatic humic acid fraction contains substances with molecular weights ranging from 1000 to greater than 10,000 and is generally polydisperse.

Quantitative evaluation of XAD-8 and XAD-4 resins used in tandem for removing organic solutes from water

Abstract The combined XAD-8 and XAD-4 resin procedure for the isolation of dissolved organic solutes from water was found to isolate 85% or more of the organic solutes from Lake Skjervatjern in Norway. Approximately 65% of the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was first removed on XAD-8 resin, and then an additional 20% of the DOC was removed on XAD-4 resin. Approximately 15% of the DOC solutes (primarily hydrophilic neutrals) were not sorbed or concentrated by the procedure. Of the 65% of the solutes removed on XAD-8 resin, 40% were fulvic acids, 16% were humic acids, and 9% were hydrophobic neutrals. Approximately 20% of the hydrophilic solutes that pass through the XAD-8 resin were sorbed solutes on the second resin, XAD-4 (i.e., they were hydrophobic relative to the XAD-4 resin). The fraction sorbed on XAD-4 resin was called XAD-4 acids because it represented approximately 85–90% of the hydrophilic XAD-8 acid fraction according to the original XAD-8 fractionation procedure. The recovery of hydrophobic acids (fulvic acids and humic acids) and the hydrophobic neutral fraction from XAD-8 resin was essentially quantitative at 96%, 98%, and 86%, respectively. The recovery of XAD-4 acids from the XAD-4 resin was only about 50%. The exact reason for this moderately low recovery is unknown, but could result from π-π bonding between these organic solutes and the aromatic matrix of XAD-4. The hydrophobic/hydrophilic solute separation on XAD-8 resin for water from background Side A and Side B of the lake was almost identical at 65 and 67%, respectively. This result suggested that both sides of the lake are similar in organic chemical composition even though the DOC variation from side to side is 20%.

Molecular weight of aquatic fulvic acids by vapor pressure osmometry

Abstract The molecular weights of aquatic fulvic acids extracted from five rivers were determined by vapor pressure osmometry with water and tetrahydrofuran as solvents. The values obtained ranged from 500 to 950 dallons, indicating that the molecular weights of aquatic fulvic acids are not as great as has been suggested in some other molecular weight studies. The samples were shown to be relatively monodisperse from radii of gyration measurements determined by small angle x-ray scattering. THF affords greater precision and accuracy than H 2 O in VPO measurements, and was found to be a suitable solvent for the determination of molecular weight of aquatic fulvic acid because it obviates the dissociation problem. An inverse correlation was observed with these samples between the concentration of Ca ++ and Mg ++ in the river water and the radii of gyration and molecular weights of the corresponding fulvic acid samples.

A unified physicochemical description of the protonation and metal ion complexation equilibria of natural organic acids (humic and fulvic acids). 2. Influence of polyelectrolyte properties and functional group heterogeneity on the protonation equilibria of fulvic acid.

Potentiometric studies of the neutralization of several fulvic acid sources with standard base in aqueous and nonaqueous media have been conducted. Analysis of the results with a recently developed unified physicochemical model has shown that the protonation behavior of these fulvic acid sources is a reflection of their polyelectrolyte nature and their heterogeneity. It has been possible to ascribe the polyelectrolyte properties observed to a rather inflexible fulvic acid molecule whose variably charged surface is impermeable to simple electrolyte. 42 references, 24 figures, 4 tables.

Presence and potential significance of aromatic-ketone groups in aquatic humic substances

Abstract Aquatic humic- and fulvic-acid standards of the International Humic Substances Society were characterized, with emphasis on carbonyl-group nature and content, by carbon-13 nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy, proton nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. After comparing spectral results of underivatized humic and fulvic acids with spectral results of chemically modified derivatives, that allow improved observation of the carbonyl group, the data clearly indicated that aromatic ketone groups comprised the majority of the carbonyl-group content. About one ketone group per monocyclic aromatic ring was determined for both humic and fulvic acids. Aromatic-ketone groups were hypothesized to form by photolytic rearrangements and oxidation of phenolic ester and hydrocarbon precursors; these groups have potential significance regarding haloform formation in water, reactivity resulting from active hydrogen of the methyl and methylene adjacent to the ketone groups, and formation of hemiketal and lactol structures. Aromatic-ketone groups also may be the point of attachment between aliphatic and aromatic moieties of aquatic humic-substance structure.

Low molecular weight species in humic and fulvic fractions

Fourier transform solution /sup 1/H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry with homogated water peak irradiation is a useful method for detecting low molecular weight substances in humic extracts. Succinate, acetate, methanol, formate, lactate and some aryl methoxyl compounds have been detected in extracts from a wide range of sources. In view of the controversy over whether low molecular weight substances are contaminants in humic extracts introduced by the concentration procedure, the authors report that some of these materials are not contaminants since /sup 1/H-NMR can be used to follow their formation from higher molecular weight species.