Identification and Determination of Organic Acids in Sea Water by Partition Chromatography

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Abstract
Sea water was examined for the identification and determination of organic acids. Samples were frozen at -7° at the time of collection, and subsequently melted and filtered through Millipore (registered trademark, Millipore Filter Corp., Bedford, Mass.) filters in the laboratory. From 4 to 8 liters of the filtered samples were condensed to about one-fifth of their volume by vacuum distillation, and organic acids were removed by continuous chloroform or ether extraction. Acetic (0.07 to 2.8 mg/liter), formic (0.03 to 1.0mg/liter), lactic (0.00 to 0.13mg/liter), and glycolic (0.00 to 1.4mg/liter) acid were identified and determined by partition chromatgraphy on a silica gel column in samples from the northeast Pacific and inshore waters of the State of Washington. Offshore waters contained smaller concentrations of these acids, as did the deeper waters from the inshore stations. The evidence indicates that the major part of these acids are breakdown products of organic compounds of high molecular weight.

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