Studies of litter and acid insoluble soil organic matter fractions using 13C‐cross polarization nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with magic angle spinning

Abstract

SummaryCross polarization carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with magic angle spinning (CP‐MASS) was used to analyse for various forms of carbon in soils, a moss peat, hydrochloric acid insoluble residues from soils and peat, and litter from beech and pine trees. The chemical composition of the litters was also investigated by conventional techniques.The results show that hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid extraction removes nearly all oxygenated alkyl carbon from the soils used. It is shown that humification pathways in which carbohydrates are incorporated into humic substances via nonhydrolysable linkages are not important for the soils investigated in this work.CP‐MASS data suggest that the percentage of aromatic carbon in pine leaves increases with increase in ageing time. The results for the beech leaves are not sharply defined.