Environmental Chemistry and Engineering

Soil Chemistry

Soil chemistry is the study of the chemical characteristics of soil. Soil chemistry is affected by mineral composition, organic matter and environmental factors. Back in the early 1850's a consulting chemist to the Royal Agricultural Society in England, named J. Thomas Way, performed many experiments on how soils exchange ions. As a result of his diligent and strenuous work, he is considered the father of soil chemistry. But after him, many other big-name scientists also contributed to this branch of ecology including Edmund Ruffin, Linus Pauling, and many others.The chemical composition of the soil, the topography, and the presence of living organisms determines the quality of soil. In general, soil contains 40-45% inorganic matter, 5% organic matter, 25% water, and 25% air. Soil chemistry is the branch of soil science that deals with the chemical composition, chemical properties, and chemical reactions of soils. Soils are heterogeneous mixtures of air, water, inorganic and organic solids, and microorganisms (both plant and animal in nature.