Book excerpt: A guide to soil analysis for chemists and environmental scientists Soil-so essential to life on earth-is one of the most complicated of materials. A complex mixture of inorganic and organic solids, liquids, and gases, soil presents a challenging material for analysis, especially for researchers who are not specialists in soil chemistry. This clear, broadly applicable reference provides chemists and environmental scientists with the background they need to analyze soil, interpret their findings, and develop new analytical methods for soil. Introduction to Soil Chemistry will also be valuable to the soil scientist confronting soil analyses that appear to be incorrect or do not work. Introduction to Soil Chemistry: Analysis and Instrumentation investigates the most important soil characteristics that impact analysis and the procedures, chemicals, and equipment used to determine the composition and quantity of soil constituents. It also discusses factors that interfere with accurate soil analysis. Chapters examine such topics as: * Large features-horizons, peds, soil color, and soil naming * Microscopic to atomic orbital description of soil chemical characteristics * Soil components in combination * The biological and organic components in soil * The soil solution and soil air * Electrical measurements, titration, and extraction * Spectroscopy and chromatography * Speciation This book is enhanced by numerous examples within the text, which provide the reader with a practical understanding of various analytical procedures, along with the pitfalls and interferences that may be encountered. Bibliographies and additional resources appear at the end of each chapter.