MODULE 7

SOIL CHEMISTRY
PREPARED BY DOLORES C. SAGUN, BSCHEM ,MaSSE, LPT.

INTRODUCTION
What are the four most important natural constituent that permit life as we know it to exist
on Earth? Most people would immediately answer air, water and sunlight, but they might have to
think about the fourth answer. People generally give little attention to that fourth natural
resource but it is essential for life to exist on Earth and it lies right below our feet, the SOIL. Soil
is that critical resource. The soil mantle that covers most land surfaces is indispensable but
fragile and threatened by erosion, pollution or being covered over by human built environment.
Soil provides nutrients that directly and indirectly support life on earth.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to :

1. Describe the major component of the soil.

2. Discuss the role of water in soil processes and how different and how different amounts
of available soil water can affect the vegetation growing in soil.
3. Describe Soil characteristics.
4. Demonstrate awareness on the factors that determine soil formation development and
fertility especially the role of climate and vegetation.
5. Show appreciation on the significant role of the soil why is it is considered as among the
world’s most critical resource.

MOTIVATION
Visit a website or watch on you tube Soil Formation and Rock Cycle summarized in at least
five slides power point presentation.

CONTENT
SOIL is a dynamic body of natural materials capable of supporting a vegetative cover.It
contains chemical solutions, gases, organic refuse, flora and fauna.The physical, chemical
and biological processes that take place among the components of the soil are integral part
of its dynamic character.

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 SOIL has been called the “SKIN OF THE EARTH”. It is an environmental system
that adapts, reflects and respond to a great variety of natural and human influenced process. It
is an exceptional example of an Integration, Interdependence and overlap among subsystem
because the characteristics of the soil reflect the Atmospheric, Hydrologic, Lithologic and
Biotic conditions under which developed. Soil integrates major subsystem so well and they are
considered “PEDOSPHERE” from the greek word” pedon” means ground.

MAJOR SOIL COMPONENTS

Soil contains a complex assemblage of inorganic mineral and rocks, along with
water, air and organic matter with specific percentage as shown in pie diagram below.

Inorganic Minerals
Soil is made of insoluble materials like rock fragments and minerals that will not readily
dissolved in water. Soils also contains soluble minerals as dissolved mineral held in water.
Most minerals found in soil are combination of the common element of surface rocks:
Si,Al,O and Fe. C.H,N, Na ,K ,Zn,Cu, I and compounds of these element are important in
soil.

Soil Water
When precipitation falls on land, the water that does not run downslope or evaporate is
absorbed into the rock or soil or by vegetation. Moving through the soil, water dissolves

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 certain minerals and carries them through the soil. Soil water is both an ingredient and a
catalyst for chemical reactions that sustains life and influence soil development.

Soil Air

Perhaps as much as nearly 50 % of soil consist of open spaces between soil

particles and clumps. Voids that are not filled with water contain air or gases. Compared to
the composition of the lower atmosphere, the air in soil is likely to have less oxygen more
carbon dioxide.and fairly high relative humidity because of the presence of capillary and
hygroscopic water .

Organic Matter

Soil contains organic matter in addition to minerals, gases and water. The decayed
remains of plants and animals partially transformed by bacterial action are called humus.
Humus is an important catalyst in chemical reaction that helps plants extract soil nutrients.
Soil that are rich in humus are workable and have a good capacity for water retention. It
supplies a soil with minerals and nutrient and provides an abundant food source for
microscopic soil organism.

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 SOIL CHARACTERISTICS

Several soil properties that can be readily tested or examined are used to describe and
differentiate soil types. The most important properties include color,texture,structure,
acidity or alkalinity and the capacity to hold and transmit water and air.
Color. The color of a soil is immediately visible , but not be its most important characteristics.
Most people know that soils vary in color from place to place. Soil vary in color from black to
brown to red, yellow , gray and nearly white. A soil’s color is typically related to each physical
and chemical characteristics.
When describing soils in the field or samples in the laboratory, soil scientist used a book of
standardized colors to clearly or precisely identify the coloration.
If the humus content is low because of limited organic activity or loss of organic through
leaching, soil colors typically light brown or gray. Decomposed organic matter is black or
brown, so soil rich in humus tend to be dark. Soil with high humus content attend to be very
fertile and often referred to as rich. However, this is not always true because some dark soil
have little or no humus but are dark because of other soil characteristics.
Red or yellow soil typically indicate the presence of iron. In moist climate, a light
gray or white soil indicates that iron has been leached out, leaving oxides of silicon and
aluminum but in dry climate, the same color typically indicates an accumulation of
calcium or salts.

Texture. Soil texture refers to the particle sizes. The soil particles come in three main size
groups. From largest to smallest, these groups are sand, silt, and clay. What a soil feels
like depends on the size of its particles. Sandy soil is loose and dry. Clays are thick and
sticky. Soils made mostly of sand tend to hold less water than soils made mostly of clay.
In Clayey soils the dominant size consist of clay particles having a diameter of less than 0.002
mm. In Silty soil, the dominant silt particles are defined as being between 0.002 -0.05 mm.
Sandy soil have most sand-sized particles with diameter between 0.05 – 2.0 mm. The
proportion of sand, silt and clay in soil is used to classify its texture. A triangular graph is used
to discern different classes of soil texture based on the plot of percentages for the sand ,silt clay
particles within each class. For example,a soil composed of 50 % silt sized particles, with 45 %
clay and 5 % sand would be identified as Silty clay.
Structure. Scientist classify soil structure according to their form. In most soils particles clump
into masses known as soil peds, which give a soil a distinctive structure. Soil peds range from
columns, prisms and angular blocks to nutlike spheroids, laminated plates, crumbs and
granules. Soils with massive and fine structures tend to be less useful than aggregates of
intermediate size and stability, which permits good drainage and aeration.

Soil structure and texture both influence soil Porosity- the amount of space that may
contain fluids and they also affect permeability – the rate at which water can pass through.

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 Permeability is usually greatest in sandy soils and poorest in clayey soils. Both of this factors
control soil drainage and soils available moisture.

Acidity and Alkalinity. An important aspect of soil chemistry is acidity,alkalinity or neutrality.

Levels of acidity or alkalinity are measured on the pH scale of 0 to 14. The pH reading
indicates the concentration of reactive hydrogen ions present. The pH scale is logarithmic,
meaning that each change in the whole pH number represent a tenfold change. It is also an
inverted scale- a lower pH means a greater amount of hydrogen ions. Low ph value indicate
acidic soil and high pH value indicates alkaline conditions.

SOIL HORIZON

Well developed soils typically exhibit distinct layers in their soil profile called soil horizon
that are distinguished by their physical and chemical properties. Soils are classified largely on
the horizon that exist in the soil profile and by the process responsible for those differences. Soil
horizon is designated by a set of letters that refers to their composition ,dominant process or
position in the soil profile.
At the surface where there is sufficient cover of decomposed vegetation litter will be an O
horizon . this is a layer of organic debris and humus; immediately below this is a the A horizon
Commonly reffered to as “Topsoil”. The A horizon is dark because it contained decomposed
organic matter. Beneath the A horizon soil have light-colored E horizon named for the action of
strong eluviation. Below this is a zone of accumulation, The B horizon where much of the
materials remove from A and E horizons are deposited. The C horizon is the weatherd parent
materials from which the soil has been developed. Its either fragments of the bedrock or
deposits of rock materials that were transported to the site by water, wind, glacial or other
surface processes.The lowest layer called R horizon is unchanged parent materials either
bedrock or transported deposits or rock fragments.
Certain horizon in some soil may not be as well developed as others and some horizons
maybe missing altogether, because soil and the processes that form them vary widely and can
be transitional between horizon, the horizon boundaries maybe either sharp or gradual.
Variation in color and texture within a horizon are not unusual.

SOIL AS A CRITICAL NATURAL RESOURCE

Soil is an essential yet vulnerable ,natural resource. It is the responsibility of all of us to

help protect our valuable soils and the world’s ecosystem with which we also maintain
interdependent symbiotic relationship. Soil erosion, soil depletion and mismanagement of the
land are problems that we should have great concern about today. Detrimental impacts on soils
have negative consequences on the natural ecology as well as on the agricultural productivity
that humankind depend on. These problems however often have reasonable solutions.
Conserving soils and maintaining soil fertility are critical challenges, essential to natural
environment and to our planet’s life-giving resources. The information and knowledge gained

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reproduction, distribution, uploading, or posting online in any form or by any means
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 from studying natural environments and soil can help us learn to work in concert with nature to
sustain and improve life on Earth.

ASSESSMENT

a. Write an essay on the significant role of soil as an indispensable natural resource?

b. Diagram a soil profile and describe each layer. Make it colorful?
c. As an engineering student how can you help solve problems on Land degradation?
Present a video in 2-3 minutes of the methods and practices of preservation and
conservation of soil as a natural resource?

HOME PROJECT :

LECTURE:

Submit a 10 slides Power point Presentation of “ Water as one of the Earth’s Special
Compound “.Guided by the following questions:
1. What are the significant roles of waters to living organism and to the environment?
2. What are the different Physico-chemical characteristics of water?
3. What are the different problems we encounter on water as natural resource?
4. What are some solutions to this problems?

LABORATORY:

Present a creative video presentation in 3-5 minutes of the “ CHEMISTRY OF THE

ATMOSPHERE” . Guided by the following questions:
1. Give a pie diagram of the composition of the atmosphere?
2. Show the different layers of the atmosphere?
3. Identify the greenhouse gases and air pollutants?
4. Present the cause and effect of Climate change?
5. Show the different solutions as a mitigating measure on the alarming condition of
Climate change?

REFERENCES

Books:

Masterton, William et.al. ( 2018) .Chemistry for Engineering Students: Principles and Reactions.
C & E Publishing Inc. Quezon Avenue.
Whittens,Kenneth W. et. al. (2005). General Chemistry. Thompson Brooks/cole, 7 th ed.
Singapore.

this module is for the exclusive use of the University of La Salette, Inc. Any form of
reproduction, distribution, uploading, or posting online in any form or by any means
without the written permission of the university is strictly prohibited.
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 Website:
Microsoft Encarta 2009.

1. Familiarize on present Environmental Laws and Policies.

2.

Present a Creative infomercial on how you can inform people the present status of the Earth’s
atmosphere, waters and soil

this module is for the exclusive use of the University of La Salette, Inc. Any form of
reproduction, distribution, uploading, or posting online in any form or by any means
without the written permission of the university is strictly prohibited.
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this module is for the exclusive use of the University of La Salette, Inc. Any form of
reproduction, distribution, uploading, or posting online in any form or by any means
without the written permission of the university is strictly prohibited.
8