Influence of Hydrothermal Conditions on the Nature and Properties of Humic Substances

Humic substances present in continuously moist soils, are simpler in structure and of shorter chain length, than those formed in soils subjected to alternate wetting and drying. In order to resolve whether hydrothermal conditions are responsible for this difference or not, humic substances extracted from soils of prevailing widely different hydrothermal conditions as well as those synthesized under hydrothermal conditions similar to those in nature were studied. It has been observed that hydrothermal conditions do determine the nature and properties of humic substances.