Chemical composition and structure of humic acids isolated from Cambisols forming on gneiss and amphibolite were studied. Cambisols differ in pH, cation exchange ca pacity, mineralogy composition, organic carbon input, plant residue and type of management. 13 C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy were used to show the main differences in humic substances quality. Humic acids isolated from soils developed on gneiss and amphibolite had wide variety of functional groups and different content of aromatic and aliphatic groups. Humic acids (HA) in arable soils contained more aromatic compounds and carbon in their molecule to compare with HA isolated from grassland. Forming of higher stability aggregates was connected with higher content of aliphatic groups in HA isolated from the grassland. Generally, humic acids in Cambisols represent young humic acids, with lower carbon content and high tendency to oxidation pr ocesses. Their chemical activity was mainly influenced by chemical composition and functional groups content., Ľubica Pospíšilová, Anna Žigová, Martin Šťastný and Tibor Liptaj., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy