THE BASIC SOIL CHARACTERISTICS OF ITS SUBSTANCES AND THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH THEY REACT OR COMBINE WITH OTHERS SUBSTANCES

Soils are transported and they move water, also provide homes for thousands of bacteria and other creatures, and have many different arrangements of weathered rock as well as minerals. When soils and minerals weather meets over time, the chemical composition of soil also changes in the process.  However, nothing changes the chemistry of soils faster than the presence of humans in the soil.

Most of the soil chemistry challenges today have to do with environmental sciences. What happens when a chemical is accidentally spilt in the soil? And how fast does it break down? What does it break down to become? After breaking down where does it go and how fast does it move from place to place? A soil chemist may ask these example questions. Soil chemists research concerns about organic and inorganic soil contamination, pesticides and other pollutants, and environmental health risks.

What are the areas of study of soil chemists?

The areas of study are just a small example of what soil chemists are engage to. All of these chemical processes work together in the processes of study, it also impact many of the other disciplines in soil science as a field.

Exchanges of ion

Exchange of ion involves the movement of cations, which are positively charged elements like calcium, magnesium, and sodium and anions which are negatively charged elements like chloride, and compounds like nitrate through the soils. In most countries soil structure, cation exchange is much more common in the soil.

Cation exchange is the interchanging between a cation in the solution of water which is around the soil particle, and another cation which are stuck to the clay surface. The number of cations in the soil water solution is much smaller compare to the number that is attached to the soil particles.

In soil, the total amount of positive charges in which it can absorb is called the cation exchange capacity. Cation exchange capacity impacts how quickly nutrients move through the soil profile. A soil with a low cation exchange capacity is much less fertile in nature due to the fact that it cannot hold on to many nutrients, and they usually contain less clay. If your soil has a low cation exchange capacity, it is then important to apply fertilizer small doses so it does not infiltrate into the groundwater. A soil with a low cation exchange capacity is also less able to hold spilt chemicals.

pH of the soil

The pH of the soil is a measure of soil acidity or alkalinity. pH can range from 1 to 14, with values  0-7 being confirm as acidic, while 7-14 is known as alkaline. Soils usually range from 4 to 10.  The pH of the soil is one of the most important properties which are involved in plant growth, as well as understanding how rapidly reactions take place in the soil. For instance, the element iron becomes less available to plants a higher the pH is. This creates iron deficiency problems to crops. Crops usually prefer values of pH between 5.5-8; however, the value depends on the crop. The pH of the soil comes from the parent material during the formation of the soil, but soil scientists can add things to the soils to change them to better suit plant growth. The pH of the soil also affects the organisms in the soil.

Precipitation and sorption

The particles of soil have the ability to capture different nutrients and ions in the soil. Soil precipitation takes place during chemical reactions when a nutrient or chemical in the soil solution such as water around soil particles is transforms into a solid. This is really important if the soils are really salty. The soil chemists study the speed of these reactions under several different conditions. Sorption is the process in which one substance is taking up or holds another. In a case such as this, soils that have high sorption can hold a lot of extra environmental contaminants, such as phosphorus, onto the particles of the soil.

The interaction of soil organic matter

In the process of studying of the soil chemists, he also studies soil organic matter, which are materials that are derived from the decay of plants and animals. These derived materials contain most hydrogen and carbon compounds. The arrangement and formation of these compounds influence the soils ability to handle spilt chemicals as well as other pollutants. 

Reduction and oxidation reactions

The soils that alternate between wet and dry go from having a lot of oxygen to not a lot of oxygen. The presence or absence of oxygen in the soil determines how the soils chemically react. Reduction is the gaining of electrons at the soil surface and oxidation is the loss of electrons. These types of reactions in the soil takes place every day, and are responsible for creating things like rust. Soils, due to the fact that they contain a lot of iron, can also attain rust, or if they contain a lot of water, can turn to a light gray color during these processes. This is partially responsible for all of the different colors that are found in the soil, and creates the speckles usually found deeper in the soil profile.