Diborane reduction of humic substances

Abstract

Changes in the composition and properties of humic substances following repeated treatments with diborane in tetrahydrofuran have been investigated.

Solubility, ionic mobility, elementary composition and spectral characteristics of diborane-treated samples suggest that both humic and fulvic acids undergo a drastic chemical change-upon reduction.

The disappearance of the band at 1720 cm and the prominent absorption centred at 1010 cm in the IR spectra of the reduced samples are noticeable, and may be explained in terms of an efficient transformation of carboxyl groups into alcoholic OH.

These modifications in the distribution of oxygen-containing functional groups, are probably responsible for the reported changes in the colloidal properties and the structural characteristics of the diborane-reduced humic samples.