At first glance, this behavior appears contradictory given HCB's strong hydrophobicity. However, it is presumably caused by the high polarity of the abundant carboxylate groups in SOM I, which prevent HCB from being absorbed into the HS phase. Moreover, the variations in probability across the HS phase can be linked to the acidity of the SOM system. Highacidity SOM (e.g., SOM I) is associated with low hydrophobicity of HS molecules, while lowacidity SOM (e.g., SOM II) exhibits higher hydrophobicity. This emphasizes the crucial role of HCB's hydrophobicity in its accumulation within SOM.