Evaluation of Suwannee River NOM electrophoretic fractions by RP-HPLC with online absorbance and fluorescence detection.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with online absorbance and fluorescence detections was used for the evaluation of Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM) and its fractions A, B, and C+D, obtained by conventional size exclusion chromatography-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SEC-PAGE) setup, for which the electrophoretic mobility (EM) and the absorptivity varied in the order C+D > B > A, and the molecular size (MS) in the opposite order. Analysis of SRNOM and its fractions in part of their relative irreversible adsorption on C18-column and relative distribution of eluted from the column matter on hydrophobic and hydrophilic peaks showed that hydrophobicity of fractions decreased in order: A > B > C+D. The online fluorescence detection showed that SRNOM and its fractions contained at least three groups of humic substances (HS)-like fluorophores with emission maxima at 435, 455-465, and 455/420 nm and two protein-like fluorophores with emission maxima at around 300 and 340 nm. The HS-like fluorophore with emission maximum at 435 nm was located in the hydrophilic peak in all the samples. Those with maxima at 455-465 nm were detected in hydrophobic peaks of fractions A and B. SEC-PAGE setup followed by RP-HPLC allowed us to develop new approach of SRNOM separation on less heterogeneous compounds mixture for their further study and structural identification.