Tetramethylammonium hydroxide thermochemolysis for the analysis of cellulose and free carbohydrates in a peatbog

Céline Estournel-Pelardy (1) , Frédéric Delarue (2) , Laurent Grasset (1) , Fatima Laggoun-Défarge (2) , André Amblès (1)

1 SRSN - Synthèse et réactivité des substances naturelles
2 ISTO - Institut des Sciences de la Terre d'Orléans

We have compared TMAH thermochemolysis with the classical method using acid hydrolysis for carbohydrates analysis in a peat core. Even if TMAH thermochemolysis does not analyse hemicellulosic carbohydrates and discriminate each individual carbohydrate sensu stricto, it allows the analysis of a cellulose pool hidden to acid hydrolysis and the specific analysis of free and terminal carbohydrates. Simple direct comparisons of thermochemolysis data with data generated from acid hydrolysis cannot be done because of the different mechanisms involved in each process. TMAH thermochemolysis must be viewed and used as a pertinent and complementary method for the analysis of carbohydrates protected and trapped by the organic matter in complex environmental systems.

Keywords: Carbohydrates; Cellulose; Tetramethylammonium hydroxide; Thermochemolysis; Peat core

Domains: Continental interfaces, environment; Global Changes

Céline Estournel-Pelardy, Frédéric Delarue, Laurent Grasset, Fatima Laggoun-Défarge, André Amblès. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide thermochemolysis for the analysis of cellulose and free carbohydrates in a peatbog. Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 2011, 92 (2), pp.401-406. ⟨10.1016/j.jaap.2011.08.004⟩. ⟨insu-00615435⟩