Content: The course introduces students to the overview of soil chemistry, composition of soil minerals and organic matter, charge and characteristics of clays, electric double layer theory, common solubility equilibria, interaction of solid, liquid and gas phases, redox reaction and soil solution. The course also equips students with the kinetics of soil chemical processes, the chemistry of soil acidity, and the chemistry of saline and sodic soils.

Objective:
To introduce the students to the fundamental concepts of soil chemistry and reactions in soils.

Reading materials
1.    Brown, H.J.M. 1979. Environmental Chemistry of the Elements. Academy Press, London.
2.    Manahan, S.E. 1991. Environmental Chemistry. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan, USA.
3.    Sparks, D.L. 1995. Environmental Soil Chemistry. Academic Press Inc.
4.    Sposito, G. 1989. The Chemistry of Soils. Oxford Univ. Press