Abstract: MATH/CHEM/COMP 2002, Dubrovnik, June 24-29, 2002

 

 

ACIDITY AND OXIDIZING SOIL PROPERTIES OF SOME TRANSITION ELEMENTS

 

Marija KovCalija and Husein Keran

 

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Tuzla, 35000 Tuzla, Univerzitetska 8, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

 

 

Acidity, occurence and distribution of  the oxidizing substances in soils from the Sprečko   polje area were investigated during the last four years1,2, and here the continuation of these studies is presented.

It is known that copper and iron are oxidizing agents when they are in form of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions3-6. In the soil samples, collected by us from March - August 2001, the acidity, humidity, and presence of these oxidizing substances were firstly determined. After that, the samples were dissolved in deionized water. Copper and iron content in solution was determined by the use of spectrophotometric methods. The copper was found in a concentration range between 0.288 mg Cu/kg dry soil (DS) to 5.347 mg Cu/kg DS. The highest Cu(II) concentration level (max. 5.347 mg/kg DS) was found in the samples collected during March 2001 with the mean value being equal to 2.291 mg Cu/kg DS. The highest iron(III) content (max. 7.420 mg/kg DS) was in the samples taken in April 2001. The soil acidity was in a mild acid range (pH = 5.5 – 6.2).

 

1 M. Kovcalija, Oxidizer substances, acidity and chloride in the ground, GEOANALYSIS-2000, 4th International Conference on the Analysis of Geological and Environmental Materials, Nancy, France, 2000.

2 M. Kovcalija, XVII Hrvatski skup kemičara i kemijskih inženjera, Osijek, 2001, H18, p. 270.

3 I. Williams, Environmental Chemistry, J. Wiley & Sons, 2001.

4 R. Gill, Chemical Fundamentals of Geology, Chapman & Hall, 1996.

5 B. Yaron, R. Calvet, R. Prost, Soil Pollution, Processes and Dynamics, Springer, 1996.

6 B.J. Alloway, Heavy Metals in Soils, Chapman & Hall, 1995.