Skip to main content

Specific Surface

Carter, D.L. and Mortland, M.M. and Kemper, W.D. (1986) Specific Surface. In: Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 1. Physical and Mineralogical Methods (2nd Edition). Agronomy Monograph, No. 9. pp. 413-423.

[img] PDF
587.pdf

Download (353kB)

Abstract

Surface area largely determines many physical and chemical properties
of materials. Physical adsorption of molecules, heat loss or gain resulting
from that adsorption, swelling and shrinking, and many other physical
and chemical processes are closely related to surface area. Surface or
exposed area is also closely related to and often the controlling factor in
many biological processes. Soils vary widely in their reactive surface
because of differences in mineralogical and organic composition and in
their particle-size distribution. Water retention and movement, cation
exchange capacity, and pesticide adsorption are closely related to the
specific surface (defined as the surface area per unit mass of soil). Specific
surface is usually expressed in square meters per gram (m2/g).

Item Type: Book Section
NWISRL Publication Number: 0587
Subjects: Mass Import - unclassified
Depositing User: Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2010 21:54
Last Modified: 11 Jan 2017 18:58
Item ID: 734
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/734