Critical comments on accuracy of quantitative determination of natural humic matter by solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy

Structural information of natural organic matter (NOM) at the molecular level is very essential in understanding their nature and reactivity. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an excellent tool for estimating the gross chemical composition of the very complex humic matter (HM). A well-known fact is that the solid state 13C NMR spectral analysis is very parameter-sensitive especially in the study of the heterogenous HM (e.g. baseline corrections, different pulse techniques and spinning rates of the rotor vs. different disruptive sidebands in the spectra). This being the case, it has been emphasized the importance of qualitative and quantitative analyses for generating as real spectra as possible by means of different pulse and polarization techniques, sampling spinning rates as well as certain correction factors. In the present study a practical accuracy for quantitative determination of NOM type material by solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy was assessed using a known HM sample. Different magnetic-field strengths, sampling spinning rates, single and ramped amplitude cross polarization techniques and TOSS pulse sequence were applied for obtaining a more reliable insight into the disruptive effect of the chemical shift anisotropy (CSA), especially the most disturbing first order spinning side bands (SSB). The results demonstrated that the SSB problem is not so significant as sometimes stated, at least in the context of HM samples and in the light of the overall reproducibility and uncertainty connected with the sample itself.