Title: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic investigation of humic substance samples of different origin and typology supported by chemometric tools

Authors: Nicoletta Calace, Marco Pietroletti, Bianca Maria Petronio, Michele Scarpiniti, Mauro Mecozzi

Addresses: National Institute for Protection and Research of the Environment (ISPRA), Via Curtatone 3, 00100 Rome, Italy. ' Laboratory of Chemometrics and Environmental Applications, ISPRA, via di Casalotti 300, 00166 Rome, Italy. ' Department of Chemistry, La Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. ' INFOCOM Department, 'Sapienza' University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy. ' Laboratory of Chemometrics and Environmental Applications, ISPRA, via di Casalotti 300, 00166 Rome, Italy

Abstract: In this paper 198 FTIR spectra of humic substance (HS) extracted from lake, marine sediments, soils and by Antarctic seawater were examined by Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and Two-dimensional Mapping (2DMAP) to identify the compositional and structural characteristics which characterise the typologies of samples examined and which are hardly detectable by means of an ordinary visual examination of FTIR spectra. PCA was able to characterise the HS fraction with the highest amount of polymerised molecules consisting of humic acids (HA) essentially. 2DMAP allowed a direct qualitative comparison among different typologies of HS samples. At last, ICA application showed that HS samples are characterised by structures where the humification process is supported by polymerisation reactions and in addition by formation of supramolecular compounds arising from polar (hydrogen bond) and non-polar (Van der Walls) interactions among the several biomolecules present.

Keywords: humic substance; fulvic acids; humic acids; FTIR spectroscopy; PCA; principal component analysis; ICA; independent component analysis; 2DMAP; two-dimensional mapping; lake sediment; marine sediment; soils; Antarctic seawater.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2011.041330

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2011 Vol.5 No.3, pp.246 - 261

Published online: 16 Jul 2011 *

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