Characterization of the perylenequinone pigments in Japanese Andosols and Cambisol

ABSTRACTThe green fraction of humic acid (Pg) and the chloroform-extractable green fraction (CEGF) are characteristic soil organic matter (SOM) components. These alkaline solutions are green-colored due to the presence of 4,9-dihydroxyperylene-3,10-quinone (DHPQ) chromophore. While both of which are potential indicators for the effect of land use and paleoclimatic environment in the fields of soil science as well as geochemistry,  CEGF as well as its relationship with Pg in soils are not yet fully documented. In this study, we firstly investigated the chemical properties of soil CEGF fractions by ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) and infrared (IR) method. Two CEGF components were separated by sequential liquid-liquid extraction using aqueous ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) followed by aqueous sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Results showed that the UV–Vis spectral shape of NH4OH-extractable component is very similar to that of DHPQ, except that it is red-shifted. The solubility and UV–Vis spectrum of the NaOH-extractable f...