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CHANGES IN MOLECULAR WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DURING SOIL DEVELOPMENT
Author(s) -
GOH K. M.,
WILLIAMS MARY R.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1979.tb01024.x
Subject(s) - chronosequence , humus , chemistry , organic matter , soil water , size exclusion chromatography , topsoil , soil organic matter , filtration (mathematics) , soil science , environmental chemistry , geology , organic chemistry , mathematics , statistics , enzyme
Summary Ten different topsoils representing members of three soil chronosequences were pre‐treated with 0.1 M HC1 and extracted with neutral 0.1 M Na 4 P 2 O 7 followed by 0.5 M NaOH. Extracts were purified and fractionated into five different nominal molecular weight fractions using gel filtration. With increasing soil development, the proportion of large molecules (>200 000) in the organic matter decreased with an increase in the proportion of intermediate size molecules (200 000 – 10 000). This effect was more evident in the mild Na 4 P 2 O 7 extracts than in the subsequent NaOH extracts, and in soils of the Manawatu chronosequence than in those of the other two chronosequences and are attributed to changes in the nature and humification of soil organic matter during soil development.