Characterization of X-ray amorphous material in a Scottish soil by selective chemical techniques

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Abstract
Mixed SiO2-Al2O3-Fe2O3 gel systems are a feature of many Scottish soils. They are usually associated with the surface of primary soil particles and consequently when present even in small amounts can have an effect on soil properties incommensurate with the proportion present. Currently, chemical dissolution methods provide the most satisfactory means of assessment. A range of chemical techniques, including dissolution by alkali, dithionite, acid oxalate and pyrophosphate, trimethylsilylation and fluoride exchange, have been used to examine the inorganic gel in a Scottish brown forest soil developed on glacial till derived from epidiorite. The reactivity of the gel, as determined by fluoride exchange, is similar to that reported for Japanese and New Zealand allophanic soils.