Role of the caffeic acid oxidation products on the iron mobilization at the soil-root interface

Previous results show that the reduction of Fe(III) by caffeiic acid (CAF) is strongly influenced by the pH of the reaction medium (DEIANA et al., 1995). In particular, it has been found that al pH > 3.8 the reducing activity of CAF towards the Fe(III) ions in solution is low, but it increases when Fe(III) is complexed as Fe(III)-polygalacturonate. The mobilization of the Fe(II) ions, which form upon the Fe(III) reduction, has been shown to depend mainly on the nature of the Fe(III)-polygalacturonate complexes (DEIANA et al., 1994a). In particular, it bas been observed a high redox activity of CAF towards Fe(III) when the metal ion is coordinated by the carboxilic groups of the macromolecule. The Fe(III) reduction has been found to decrease when an oxydrilic group was inserted in the Fe(III) coordination sphere. The Fe(II) produced partly diffuses into the external solution and partly is still strongly held by the polysaccharidic matrix. The oxidation of CAF by Fe(III) gives rise to the formation of products (OP) with different polymerization degree, some of which are similar to those found in natural systems (DEIANA et al., 1994b). In order to determine the role of these products in the Fe(III) reduction as well as in the mobilization of the Fe(II) produced it was set up an electrochemical method to synthetize these products (DEIANA et al., 1994b). Here are reported some results about the interaction which establish between the CAF oxidation products and iron in both oxidized and reduced form.