ElectroChemistry

Electrons

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi (1960), a Nobel prize laureate in physiology, said: "What drives life is a little electric current, kept up by the sunshine”

Soil Electrochemstry

"Soil electrochemistry is an increasingly emerging topic among the scientific community as it could essentially correlate soil health in terms of understandable electrochemical signals. It also offers integrated and miniaturized platform along with reliable data output which ultimately helps to build on-chip in situ diagnostic platform for monitoring active parameters inside the dynamic soil ecosystem. Literature studies suggests a strong correlation between electrochemical activity and the presence of active substances that contribute to the soil-nutrient cycle. " More Basis of new Soil Sensor

Charges

Soils are composed of a mixture of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Sand has the largets particles, silt the next and clay the smallest, with organic matter all sorts of sizes. These particles get glued together to make aggregates. It is these aggregates that give soil its particular properties, and its scientific name - pedology for 'peds' or lumps - properly aggregates.
Both the clay and organic matter particles have a net negative charge. Thus, these negatively-charged soil particles will attract and hold positively-charged particles, much like the opposite poles of a magnet attract each other. Positively charged particles, like Iron (Fe), Aluminium (Al) and Calcium (Ca), are held in the clay lattice. Soil Basics

Electron Transfer

Electrons are v small negatively charged - sub particles. Most important soil and plant reactions (eg photosynthesis and humiifcation) involve electron transfer and all called redox reactions. Red=Reduction, Ox=Oxidisation. Both processes happen simulataneously, hence Redox.

Oxidisation

Oxidisation involves a loss of electrons, so an oxidising agent or material will lose electrons to another material. The material that receives the electrons becomes the reducing agent because it reduces the number of electrons the other material has. It is a two way process depending on the way you are looking and is called Redox. The amount of available electrons in the soil can determine the likelihood of redox reactions. Various conditions affect that redox potential. More

The electron transfer capacity (ETC) of soil is mainly dependent on the type and abundance of redox-active functional groups in their structure.

Anions & Cations

Much which goes on in soil is about the transfer of electrons. An electron is a small negatively charged particles. If one leaves a molecule, that molecule has a positive charge (+), and is called a cation. However, the molecule receiving the electron becomes more negatively charged (-) and is called an anion. Wherever there are these charges about, the movement of electrons carry out important functions.

Chemistry

N is for Nitrogen

The N is used in all sorts of molecules that make the wrold go round - proteins, enzymes and DNA . Reduced amounts of N reduce plant growth.

Nitrogen is found in soil as
Nitrates - negative NO3--produces in aerobic conditions or

Ammonia positive NH4+ produced in anaerobuc conditions, both soluble. More on nitrates in soil

P is for Phosphate

P fertiliser is vital for the energy process of plants - ATP in mitochondria. That is why it is seen by farmers as more 'limiting' - a shortage soon shows. 3/4 of phosphate (P) fertilisers are quickly aDsorbed by clay. Phosphate is a negative ion (Anion) PO4-- which is attracted to Cation - Ca++ in chalk and FE++/+ & AL+++ round here. Thes cations are on the negative clay, so attract the phosphate anions..hence aDsorption

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