Distribution of oxygen-containing functional groups and elements in humic acids from marine sediments

The elemental composition and oxygen-containing functional groups contents in the marine humic acids from the five sediment samples from Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay were determined. Kumada's method of classification of soil humic acids was applied to the marine humic acids. The carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and sulfur contents of the marine humic acids were, on average, 52.96, 5.12, 5.79, 34.99 and 1.13%, respectively, without wide variation. In comparison with terrestrial humic acids, the marine ones had relatively lower carbon content and higher hydrogen and nitrogen contents. It is suggested that the marine humic acids have more aliphatic and less aromatic character, as expected from their possible origins, e.g., phytoplankton. The total acidity, carboxyl, phenolic and alcoholic hydroxyl, carbonyl and methoxyl group contents in the marine humic acids were, on average, 5.80, 3.27, 2.53, 2.53, 3.09 and 0.41 milliequivalents per gram of dry ash-free humic acid (me g^–1), respectively. From quantitative data on the elemental composition and functional groups of the average marine humic acid, its empirical formula was calculated to be C₁₀₇H₁₃₈O₂₀(COOH)₉(OH)₇ ^phenolic (OH)₇ ^alcoholic (CO)₉(OCH)₃N₁₀S. The marine humic acids were similar to the so-called B type of soil humic acids with regard to the distribution of functional groups and spectroscopic properties.