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CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES
Citation:
Garrison, A.W., P. Schmitt, AND A. Kettrup. CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMIC SUBSTANCES. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-95/421.
Description:
The potential of high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE), especially in the free solution mode (FSCE), is demonstrated for the analysis/characterization of environmental humic substances (HUS). he very high efficiency of HPCE separations allows the production of electropherograms that are more characteristic for HUS than are liquid chromatograms; in addition, HUS can be analyzed by FSCE in their naturally occurring anionic forms. ulvic and humic acid fractions of HUS extracted from soil and water by procedures of the International Humic Substances Society were analyzed using an uncoated silica column and acetate, borate or phosphate buffer systems to produce electropherograms of the anionic species. oil fulvic acids exhibit a consistent and characteristic set of sharp peaks, extending from a humic "hump"; migration times range between 5 and 12 min depending on soil source, buffer, and pH. umic acids give only the "hump," which sometimes has shoulders but little definition. oil and river humic acids produce only slightly different electropherograms at pH 8.30 in a borate buffer system, and each shows a remarkable peak-sharpening as the pH is increased to just 8.55. he electropherograms of "young" and "old" groundwater fulvic acids show different fingerprints.