Corrected fluorescence spectra of fulvic acids isolated from soil and water.

The fluorescence of humic matter is a ubiquitous phenomenon that occurs for isolated soil and aquatic matter and for natural water samples. This property is used to compare humic substances, but uncorrected emission spectra can be especially misleading for spectra taken on different instruments. This paper details the corrections of emission fluorescence spectra of well-characterized fulvic acids isolated from soil and a fresh-water river. The corrections significantly modify the uncorrected spectra. This effect demonstrates the need for emission spectra corrections before comparing the fluorescence properties of diverse humic matter samples.