Talk:Dissolved organic carbon

Restructuring article
I'm working on expanding some sections of DOC and tightening up the introductory paragraph. So far I've added a measurement section and an interactions with metals section that were taken from the intro paragraph. I'm going to be working on this article for the next couple of weeks along with efforts from the WikiProject Limnology and Oceanography editors. I'd appreciate any input on the structure of the article and any subsections to add and/or expand upon. Jayzlimno (talk) 00:45, 27 November 2018 (UTC)

Dissolved?
"The "dissolved" fraction of organic carbon is an operational classification. Many researchers use the term "dissolved" for compounds below 0.45 micrometers, but 0.22 micrometers is also common, saving colloidal for higher concentrations. A practical definition of dissolved typically used in marine chemistry is all substances that pass through a GF/F filter. The recommended measure technique is the HTCO technique after filtration on precombusted glass fiber filters, typically GF/F filters.[1]"

I would have expected colloidal solutions to contain particles less than some certain size and liquids containing larger particles to be dispersions. I would have expected this limit to be smaller, maybe 100 nm, but I find from the colloid article that a common limit seems to be as large as 1000 nm i.e. 1 micrometer. GF/F filter needs reference or further explanation. Googling indicates that it refers to glass fibre filters with a 0.7 micrometer size limit but it may be a classification limited to one filter manufacturer (Whatma). It would be good to start the article with an explicit statement that DOC refers to colloidal carbon compounds. If in this context the term colloidal is actually really reserved for larger particles this deviation from the colloid concept described in the colloid article need to be commented (preferably in both articles).

In addition to this it should be stressed that concentrations are not measured in micrometers! ("saving colloidal for higher concentrations"). A colloid solution of large particles can still be dilute and one of small particles concentrated although in certain cases agglomeration equilibria might depend on concentration.150.227.15.253 (talk) 12:30, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Carbon vs Matter
Currently the subject Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) is being redirected to the article of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC). I agree that both expressions are very close, and very often used interchangeably. However, they are slightly different, and so has been stated in the scientific literature, see for instance. It has been argued that: According to that, DOC just refers to a specific characteristic of DOM (how much carbon is there in a given DOM sample?).
 * DOM refers to general properties of the DOM molecules.
 * DOC refers only to the carbon atoms which are part of the DOM molecules.

All this considered, and with the aim of being more accurate, I suggest:
 * 1) That the main subject be Dissolved organic matter, and Dissolved organic carbon be redirected to Dissolved organic matter (the other way round as now).
 * 2) To add a short explanation in the text clarifying the difference between both expressions.

Desgavell (talk) 18:44, 31 October 2011 (UTC)

Expanding dissolved organic carbon
I'm a highschool student being asked to expand this subject for a project. I was wondering what would be some of the most essential topics to expand on for this stub? Would it be acceptable to highlight the differences between DOM and DOC on the page? Jack Rumsey (talk) 16:17, 23 April 2012 (UTC)