Martín, F., 1976. Effects of extractants on analytical characteristics and pyrolysis gas chromatography of Podzol fulvic acids. Geoderma, 15: 253-:-265. Fulvic acids extracted from the Bh horizon of a Podzol with three reagents: NaOH, HCl and the mixture Na4P~07/NaOH, show no significant differences by physical and chemical analysis with the exception of the N-content of the NaOH extract and the E4/E6 ratios of those extracted with HCl and Na4P207/NaOH, indicating that these fulvic acids have very few condensed aromatic nuclei structures. Pyrolysis gas chromatography of the three fulvic-acid specimens produces the same low-boiling-point compounds, but in different amounts. Various alkanes and olefins as. well as other compounds have been identified. By pyrolysis of the methylated fulvic acids, it has been shown that part of the resulting compounds are produced' by reactions of component radicals. The main pyrolysis reaction appears to be dehydration. The pyrolysis patterns of the three fulvic-acid specimens provide evidence that there are some differences in structure not evident from conventional physicaI and chemical analysis.