13C-NMR analysis of components of chernozem humic acids and their fractions with different molecular sizes and electrophoretic mobilities

Abstract

Tandem size-exclusion chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were used for obtaining stable fractions of different molecular sizes and electrophoretic mobilities from chernozem humic acids (HAs). The obtained fractions were analyzed using solid-phase 13C NMR. The tendencies of the changes in the aromatic and aliphatic components of the HA fractions with different molecular sizes and electrophoretic mobilities were experimentally revealed. The aromatic-to-aliphatic carbon ratio Carom (165–108 ppm)/Caliph (108-0 ppm) was used for comparing the degrees of aliphaticity and aromaticity of the HA macromolecules. This ratio increased by more than five times when going from the high-molecular-weight to the low-molecular-weight fractions and largely determined their hydrophilic properties. The obtained results can be useful for the interpretation of the structural organization and the ecological functions of soil HAs and their fractions.