Reduction–Oxidation Level of Soils

Abstract

SEVERAL attempts have been made to determine the redox potentials of soils by inserting a suitably treated platinum electrode into the soil suspension and measuring the e.m.f. against a reference electrode; but from a strictly physico-chemical point of view one cannot speak about well-established redox potentials in soils, which are derived from experimental data. To avoid these difficulties, the use of the empirical term ‘redox level’ is suggested, thereby giving an expression for the mean reducing or oxidizing activities in dry soil samples.