HYDROCARBON ADSORPTION BY SOILS AS THE STATIONARY PHASE OF GAS-SOLID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Soil adsorption of C//1 to C//8 hydrocarbons was measured by columns of subsoils serving as the stationary phase in gas-solid chromatography. Hydrocarbon retention by such dry soils increased with molecular weight and unsaturation, and decreased with branching, of the hydrocarbon molecules. Aromatic and oxygenated hydrocarbons were held more strongly than related aliphatics. Fine-textured soils retained hydrocarbons more strongly than coarse-textured soils. The retention under these conditions was only poorly correlated with the clay contents of the soils.