Carbohydrates in humic and fulvic acids from Hiroshima Bay sediments

A core of 75 cm length from Hiroshima Bay, Seto Inland Sea in Japan, has been analyzed for the carbohydrate content of the humic and fulvic acids. These carbohydrates were found by gel filtration to be in the high molecular weight range. Carbohydrates were more abundant in fulvic acids than in humic acids. A comparison of carbohydrates in humic acids with those in fulvic acids showed that the former did not undergo diagenetic loss any faster than the latter. Identification of most alditol acetate in monosaccharides is based on the comparison of gas chromatographic retention indices and mass spectrometric fragmentation with those of authentic standard compounds. However, the compositional differences between carbohydrates in humic and fulvic acids were greater in the top section of 0–20 cm than in the 50–70 cm section. The processes which produce the humic-acid carbohydrates are operative either prior to or shortly after deposition.