STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BIO-MACROMOLECULES AND GEO-MACROMOLECULES BY OFF-LINE THERMOCHEMOLYSIS WITH TETRAMETHYLAMMONIUM HYDROXIDE

A new analytical procedure, tetramethylammonium hydroxide thermochemol ysis, was used to structurally characterize a variety of bio- and geo- polymers. The technique cleaves esters and some ethers in macromolecul ar organic matter, yielding low-molecular-mass monomers such as methyl esters of carboxylic acids and methyl ethers of alcohols that are ame nable to gas chromatographic analysis. This procedure can be conducted in sealed glass ampoules, which means that it can be easily implement ed in any laboratory having gas chromatographic capabilities, in contr ast to other chemolytic or pyrolytic procedures. A set of biogeomacrom olecules, ranging from gymnosperm and angiosperm woods, natural polyes ters such as cutin, dissolved organic matter in natural and oceanic wa ters, and humic substances were characterized with this procedure. The information obtained provides molecular-level details which can be us ed to infer structural composition. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.