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Humic macromolecule Interlayering in nontronite through interaction with phenol monomers

Nature volume 323, pages 529–531 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Humic substances, which are the principal organic components of soils and waters1, form complexes with clay minerals2–4. These complexes profoundly affect the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils and sediments4,5. Various theories on the reaction sites of clay minerals with humic substances have been proposed1,5–15; however, evidence for the retention of humic substances between the layers of expanding layer silicates in field conditions is very limited, and comes only from soils in acidic environments10,11,14,16 (pH<5). Studies on the laboratory synthesis of humic substance interlayers in expanding layer silicates have shown that the formation of interlayers was strongly favoured at pH 2.5 and diminished significantly between pH 4 and 5 (refs 6–9, 12). Aniline polymerizes in interlayers of Fe(III)-saturated montmorillonite but not in those of Ca-saturated montmorillonite17. Furthermore, aniline is not very representative of biologically generated, natural aromatics. We report here that one of the well identified precursors18,19 for the formation of humic substances, hydroquinone, in aqueous solution at near-neutral pH (6.5) can be transformed to humic macromolecules deposited in the interlayers of nontronite (Fe(III)-bearing smectite) saturated with calcium, which is the most common and abundant exchangeable cation of soils and sediments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 0WO

    M. C. Wang & P. M. Huang

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  1. M. C. Wang
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  2. P. M. Huang
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Wang, M., Huang, P. Humic macromolecule Interlayering in nontronite through interaction with phenol monomers. Nature 323, 529–531 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/323529a0

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