DISTRIBUTION OF AMINO ACID AND CARBOHYDRATE COMPONENTS IN FULVIC ACID FRACTIONATED ON POLYAMIDE

Abstract

Fulvic acid from five different Italian soils was investigated by polyamide chromatography and resolved into two fractions. In all soils but one, carbon of fulvic acid is principally recovered in the retained second fraction, whilst the first fraction, which is not retained, contains the major part of nitrogen of fulvic acid. In all of the five fulvic acids, amino acid and carbohydrate components are mostly recovered in the first fraction; amino acid nitrogen, particularly, accounts for the major part of total nitrogen content. Amino acid and carbohydrate components in the second fraction seem to be linked to phenolic substances according to hydrolysis trials after which they are no longer retained by polyamide.