Principles of Soil Science Module 3 Soil Chemistry
Principles of Soil Science Module 3 Soil Chemistry
Principles of Soil Science Module 3 Soil Chemistry
• With an increase in the degree of hydration of the iron oxide, its color decreases
in intensity from dark red hematite to pale yellow limonite.
Oxides of Fe and Al
• Most common naturally occurring oxides of aluminum
• Alumina: Al2O3
• Variscite: Al(OH)2H2PO4
Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
• Sum total of all carbon-containing substances in the soil
• consists of living organisms, dead plant and animal
residues and other organic materials in various phases of
decomposition
• amount of SOM:
o <1% in desert soils close to 100% in inorganic soils
o 1-5% in top 15cm of typical agricultural soils
Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
• Humus
o A dark, complex mixture of organic substances
modified from original organic tissue
o Not biologically active and is the pool responsible
for many of the soil chemical and physical
properties associated with SOM and soil quality
Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
• high CEC= 200-300 me/100g
• Amorphous
• Good buffering capacity
• These are due to: phenolic compounds and carboxyls
• OM and clay interacts to form resistant complexes; OM is
protected from microbial attack; accounts for the
persistence of OM in the soil
Important Characteristics of Soil Colloids
Related to Chemical Reactivity
CHARGE OF SOILS IS
NEGATIVE!!!
Presence of Electric Charges
a. Sources of positive charge:
i. Protonation of exposed hydroxyl groups
• The exposed OH can also adsorb or gain protons
particularly in strong acidic media and create
positive charge
• Negatively charged colloids attract cations which
become adsorbed on the surface
Presence of Electric Charges
a. Sources of positive charge:
i. Protonation of exposed hydroxyl groups
• Humid regions: (H+, Al3+) > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ > Na+
• Arid regions: Ca2+ , Mg2+ > Na+ , K+ > H+
• General order of adsorbability or replacing power of
cations found in soils:
(H+, Al3+) > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ = NH + > Na+
4
Factors Affecting Strength of Adsorption
• Charge valence
- The higher the valence, the stronger the adsorption
• Hydrated size
- The smaller the hydrated size, the stronger the adsorption
• Concentration of soil solution
- The higher the concentration, the stronger the adsorption
Cation Exchange Capacity
• Cation Exchange
- The process whereby cations adsorbed on the colloid are exchanged
for those in the soil solution
3. reversible
Ca Ca
clay + 4 KCl clay K + CaCl2 + 2 KCl
Ca ⇆
K
Characterisitics of Cation Exchange Reactions
4. Dependence on the concentration and relative adsorbability of replacing cation
• For ions of similar size, those with higher valence are adsorbed better:
• pH + pOH = 14
• In neutral or alkaline soils the permanent charge sites are dominated by basic
cations such as calcium and magnesium instead of H or Al.
Source of Hydroxyl Ions (OH-)
• If basic cations saturate the exchange complex, H+
concentration in the soil solution will decrease
and the OH- concentration will increase.
RNV/ CCE
CaCO3 100
CaMg(CO3 )2 109
Ca(OH )2 136
CaO 179
Lime
• Factors affecting the effectivity of lime:
- Form or kind of lime:
- order of reactivity: CaO > Ca(OH)2 > CaMg(CO3)2 > CaCO3
- size of particles
- the smaller the particles the more reactive is the lime
- lime requirement; the amount of liming material required to
raise the pH to a desired level
Lime
• Lime requirement is determined by:
- required change in pH
- texture: the finer the texture the higher the CEC and
the greater the buffering capacity
Lime
• Effects of lime on the soil
Physical – increased granulation because Ca favors
flocculation but the effect is largely indirect due to
favorable effect on organisms which decompose OM
1st Actinomycetes
2nd Fungi
3rd Bacteria
Mode of Action of Antibiotics