Environ. Sci. Technol. 1904, 28, 367-367
SIR: We thank Dr. Boehm for his interest in our paper (I)and for the opportunity to bring to the attention of the Environ. Sci. Technol. readers additional early work performed on the binding of hydrophobic organic compounds by dissolved organic material (DOM). We would also like at this time to bring to the readers’ attention the work of another researcher in this area, Dr. Brian Whitehouse (e.g., ref 2). Boehm’s statement that our results confirm their observations must be approached with caution because of the differences in solutes, DOM, and techniques used in the respective studies. For example, Boehm and Quinn (3) reported that the solubilities of phenanthrene and anthracene were unaffected by the DOM of their study. Also, the pH and ionic strength effects on alkane solubilities that they observed are not conclusive and, in some cases, are contradictory to our results. We share the view that much of the present research on humic substances has its roots in the pioneering work of Dr. Morris Schnitzer and other early investigators. The results and interpretations of these early studies are particularly interesting in light of the recent advances that have been made in the understanding of the structure and chemistry of humic substances (e.g., refs 4-8).
Boehm, P. D.; Quinn, J. G. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 1973, 37, 2459-2477. Christman, R. F.; Gjessing, E. T. Aquatic and Terrestrial Humic Materials; Ann Arbor Science: An Arbor, MI, 1983; 538 pp. Aiken,G. R.;McKnight,D. M.;Wershaw,R. L.; MacCarthy, P. Humic Substances in Soil, Sediment, and Water: Geochemistry, Isolation, and Characterization; John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1985; 692 pp. Suffet, I. H.; MacCarthy, P. Aquatic Humic Substances: Influence on Fate and Treatment of Pollutants; ACS Symposium Series 219; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1989; 864 pp. Averett, R. C.; Leenheer, J. A.; McKnight, D. M.; Thorn, K. A. Humic Substances in the Suwannee River, Georgia: Interactions, Properties, and Proposed Structures, U.S. GeologicalSurvey Open-File Report 87-577;U.S.Geological Survey: Denver, CO, 1989; 377 pp. Hayes, M. B. H.; MacCarthy, P.; Malcolm, R. L.; Swift, R. S. Humic Substances II: In Search of Structure; John Wiley & Sons: New York, 1989; 764 pp. Mark A. Schlautman Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering The University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2125
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(1) Schlautman, M. A,; Morgan, J. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 1993,27, 961-969. (2) Whitehouse, B. Estuarine, Coastal Shelf Sci. 1985, 20,
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