Structural modeling in humic acids

Humic acids are important biological and environmental materials; however, to date there are no significant reports confirming the primary or secondary structure of the building blocks of humic substances. In this work, we report a complementary experimental and computational study that utilizes molecular mechanical applications and spectroscopic tools to evaluate both the primary and secondary structural features of humic acids. The identification of an amide and pronounced CD response suggests a significant secondary structure for humic acids.