Esci 115a
SOIL
CHEMISTRY
Group 9
INTRODUCTION
Soil chemistry is a branch of soil science that deals with the
chemical composition, chemical reactions and chemical
properties in soils. Abiotic phases of the soil include solids
(organic matter and inorganic minerals), liquids (soil water),
and gases (soil air), while the biotic phase consists of living
organisms. Soil, therefore, is a dynamic living system in which
ions and molecules constantly may move from one phase to
the other, while interacting with each other.
IMPORTANCE OF
SOIL CHEMISTRY
Soil Chemistry is important for production as it not
only determines what will grow in your soil but also
how it will grow and produce. The components of soil
exist in all 3 phases. Solid-phase includes Soil organic
matter (S.O.M) and mineral constituents. It constitutes
around 45-50%. This part is relatively constant.
However, the liquid and gas phase, which includes
soil water and soil air constitutes 20-30% each are
quite dynamic and change as the soil dries or wets.
SOIL
• The organic and inorganic
materials on the surface of
the earth that provide the
medium for plant growth
SOIL SOLUTION
Soil water, including dissolved solutes, is referred to as the soil
solution and is the lifeblood of soil. All chemical reactions,
mineral precipitation/dissolution reactions, ion exchange
reactions, redox reactions, and nutrient uptake by plants
occur in, or are mediated by the soil solution. Without soil
water, very few chemical or biological reactions would occur
in soil; in fact, there would be no life on this planet.
SOIL SOLUTION
The soil solution is very complex and contains a large variety of cations
and anions (as both as free ions and complex ions) as well as dissolved
organic molecules, usually in low concentrations. For soil nutrients to be
taken up by plant roots, they must exist in a dissolved form in the soil
solution. At least 17 elements are required to support the growth of most
plants, with an additional four elements essential for the growth of some
plants . For example, some important cations and anions that plants
absorb from soil solution are: nitrogen as ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate
(NO3–), phosphorous as several phosphate species (e.g., HPO42- and
H2PO4–), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), and
sulphur as sulphate (SO42-). All nutrients are absorbed from the soil
solution by plant roots.
SOIL SOLUTION
The soil solution also contains other non-nutritive ions and
molecules, some of which are innocuous, while some are
toxic, depending on concentration. These include some
trace elements (e.g., lead, arsenic), pesticides (e.g.,
chlorpyrifos, glyphosate), antimicrobial ions and compounds
(e.g., disinfectants, antibiotics), and complex organic
molecules. These may also be taken up by plant roots.
Nutrients and other chemicals in the soil solution may also be
lost from the soil through surface runoff and/or downward
leaching, particularly under excessive rainfall and irrigation
events.
SOIL
COMPOSITION
soil is a makeup of:
1. Inorganic mineral matter (defined as soil material made
up mostly of oxygen, silicon, and aluminum-many other
metals in small quantities may be included)
2. Organic mineral matter (defined as soil material having
derived mostly from plant residues and made up mostly of
carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen) These soil minerals control
adsorption, transformation, and release behavior of
chemical constituents to water or soil solution.
3. Solutes (refers to the portion of soil composed of water
and mostly dissolved salts (plant nutrients)
4. Air (refers to the gaseous portion of soil composed of the
same gases found in the atmosphere (oxygen, nitrogen, and
carbon dioxide) but in different proportions)
SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
AND CLAY MINERALOGY
Soil chemical properties are primarily the manifestation of the
behavior of the clay and humus fractions of the soil as well as the
chemical composition of the soil solution. They change with soil
development and soil management.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF SOIL
I. Physical Properties of Soil
Texture
Texture refers to the relative proportions of particles of
various sizes such as sand, silt and clay in the soil.
Structure
The term texture is used in reference to the size of individual
soil particles but when the arrangement of the particles is
considered the term structure is used
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF SOIL
I. Physical Properties of Soil
Consistence
is the resistance of a soil to deformation or rupture and is determined
by the cohesive and adhesive properties of the soil mass.
Particle density
mass per unit volume of soil particles expressed in g/cc. Most soils
have particle density of about 2.6 g/cc. Presence of organic matter
decrease the density and iron compounds increase the density
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF SOIL
I. Physical Properties of Soil
Bulk density
mass of soil per unit volume of soil (volume includes both soil
and pores) - expressed in g/cc.
Pore space
is defined by porosity of a material possessing free space
between the mineral grains and depends on size and sorting
of the particles as a cubic or hexagonic package
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF SOIL
I. Physical Properties of Soil
Soil color
Soil colour gives an indication of the various processes
going-on in the soil as well as the type of minerals in the soil.
Atterberg limits
Consistence of soils changes with the amount of moisture in
the soil. Atterberg limits correspond to the moisture content
at which a soil sample changes it's consistence from one
state to the other.
PHYSICOCHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF SOIL
I. Physical Properties of Soil
Soil permeability
This is the ability of the soil to transmit water and air.
IMPORTANT SOIL CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES
•Soil pH (soil reaction) - A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the
soil. More precisely, it is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration
in an aqueous solution and ranges in soils from 3.5 (very acid) to 9.5
(very alkaline).
•Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) - The maximum quantity of total
cations that a soil can hold at a given pH value, available for
exchange with the soil solution.
IMPORTANT SOIL CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES
•Base Saturation Percentage - The fraction of base-forming cations
that occupy positions on the soil colloids. When the soil pH is 7
(neutral), base saturation is 100 percent, and no hydrogen ions are
stored on the colloids.
IMPORTANT SOIL CHEMICAL
PROPERTIES
•Nutrient Content
Fertile soils require sufficient amounts of the 17 essential nutrients
for plant growth. Each nutrient’s behavior can be studied as an
independent property. For example, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is
an essential property that deserves special attention due to its
complexity and impact on soil.
SOIL COLLOIDS
Most of the chemical properties of soils are associated with soil
colloids.
Mineral or organic particles in soil having a diameter of less
than 0.001 mm. Since clay has a size of <0.002 mm, not all clay
particles are colloids.
Have high surface areas; chemical reactions take place on the
colloid surfaces.
In most soils, the surfaces of the colloids have a negative (-)
charge.
Opposite charges attract; colloids can attract (and hold)
cations.
THE CLAY
STRUCTURE
Two general classifications of clays
Amorphous clays
Amorphous clays are composed of silica (silicon oxide, SiO₂)
and alumina (aluminum oxide, Al₂O₃) or Fe oxides that are
mixed without forming well-oriented crystals.
Are common in humid tropical climates (highly weathered).
Have non-distinct electrostatic, adsorptive, and plastic
properties.
THE CLAY
STRUCTURE
Structured Clays
2 Basic Structural Units (Building Blocks) of Structured Clays
a) Silicon tetrahedron. It consists of one silicon atom surrounded by
four oxygen atoms and having a four-sided configuration
b) Aluminum octahedron. It is an eight-sided structure consisting of
an aluminum atom at the center surrounded by six hydroxyl or
oxygen atoms.
THE CLAY
STRUCTURE
THE CLAY
STRUCTURE
A series of structural units that are bonded together form a “sheet”
SURFACE
CHARGE
Types of Surface Charge of Clays
1. Permanent charge - the negative charge of many clay minerals
that
arise from isomorphous substitution. This charge is permanent and is
not influenced by soil pH.
Isomorphous substitution is the replacement of one atom by
another of similar size in a crystal structure. This process occurs
during the formation of clay minerals.
SURFACE
CHARGE
Types of Surface Charge of Clays
2. pH-dependent charge -produced by dissociation of H+ ions
(negative charge) or protonation (H+) in soil organic matter,
iron and aluminum oxides, as well as on broken edges of some
clay minerals. This varies with pH; hence it is also called
"variable charge." At low pH, it is positive, and at high pH, it is
negative. The pH at which the soil colloids possess no charge
is known as zero point of charge (ZPC). The highly weathered soils
commonly exhibit this type of charge in the tropics
SURFACE CHARGE
Types of
Clay
1) 1:1 Type. This is
composed of one silicon
tetrahedral layer and one
aluminum octahedral layer;
non-expanding; has a
basal spacing of 7 Å
(0.7nm), represented by
kaolinite. (The basal
spacing is an identifying
characteristic of a mineral).
Types of
Clay
2) 2:1 Type. This is
composed of one
aluminum octahedral layer
sandwiched by two silicon
tetrahedral layers.
This has three kinds:
a) Nonexpanding Type. This
is characterized by a basal
spacing of 10 À (1.0nm),
represented by illite.
Types of
Clay
b) Expanding Type. The
individual units of this
mineral type are loosely
held together by very weak
oxygen to oxygen linkages;
they have a variable basal
spacing of 10 to 18 A (1.0 to
1.8 nm); represented by
montmorillonite.
Types of
3) 2:2 Type (2:1:1). This is
classified under the three-
Clay
layered clay mineral type.
However, the structure is
composed of two tetrahedral
layers and two octahedral
layers (the second octahedral
layer is formed by the Al or Mg
hydroxide as a precipitate in
the interlayer); represented by
chlorite; has a constant basal
spacing of 14 Å (1.4 nm).
CATION EXCHANGE
CAPACITY
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OTHER IMPORTANT SOIL
CHEMICAL CONCEPTS
Types of Surface Charge of Clays
As defined earlier, ZPC is the pH at which the net charge of the soil
colloids is zero (the quantity of + and - charges in the soil are
equal). This is important for the management of soils dominated by
pH-dependent charges (or variable charge) such as the highly
weathered soils of the tropics called Ultisols and Oxisols. When
raising the soil pH by liming, care must be done to ensure that the
pH value attained is not the PZC of the soil; otherwise, the soil will
have no more charge, and all the nutrients will be leached. There
will also be the destruction of soil aggregates.
OTHER IMPORTANT SOIL
CHEMICAL CONCEPTS
Anion Exchange
Happens if the net charge emanating from the soil surfaces is
positive.
Anions such as HCO3, CI or NO3 can be sorbed and can
actively be exchanged with anions in solution.
Anion Exchange Capacity
the ability or capacity of a soil colloid to "sorb" anions that can
be exchanged with anions in solution
SOLID - NO3 + Cl (in solution) <== > SOLID-CI + NO3 (in solution)
THANK YOU
MEMBERS:
JERICO FLORITO
JAN IVAN JUMIPIT
PRECIOUS TANJAY
RUEL MAHIPOS
