The infrared spectra of humic acids from huminlike materials (lignin, rice straw compost, peat and nitro-humic acid) and various soils (red yellowish, volcanic ash and "Kuroboku" soil) were determined using the KBr-disk method.
The results are summarized as follows
1) According to the infrared spectrum, it was detected that every humic acid contained such substituent groups as hydrogen-bonded OH, and aliphatic CH groups, COOH, C=O' C=C and various C=O bonds, and consisted of various aromatic and aliphatic compounds including phenoles, quinones, ethers and alcohols.
2) From the pattern of these spectra, humic acids from various soils were classified into three types, namely, red yellowish, volcanic ash and "Kuroboku" soil humic acid.
3) In the infrared spectrum of red yellowish soil humi acid, a fairly sharp absorption band was present at 1025 cm
-1 indicating the presence of primary alcohols and ethers, and the carboxyl group content was less than the other humic acids by the weak absorption band at 1690-1720 cm
-1 (COOH group).
4) In the infrared spectra of humic acids from nitro-humic acid, rice straw compos and red yellowish soil, a weak absorption band occurred near 1540 cm
-1 indicating the presence of nitro-group (C-NO
2).
5) In the spectrum of humic acids from volcanic ash and "Kuroboku" soil, three strong absortion bands were present at 1690cm
-1-1720cm
-1 (C=O of COOH group), 1612 cm
-1 (C=C stretching polymeric aromatic ring) and 1250 cm
-1 (C-O of COOH group), and the other bands were weak.
6) The weak absorption band was present at 1925-2000 cm
-1 in the humic acid from Makinohara "Kuroboku" soil.
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