LABORATORY PROCEDURES FOR CATION EXCHANGE MEASUREMENTS ON SOILS

This paper gives detailed instructions for the displacement and analysis of basic exchangeable cations from soils and the measurement of cation exchange capacity. Soluble salts are removed by washing with ethylene glycol-ethanol solvent mixtures. Basic exchangeable cations are extracted or leached from the soil with a molar solution of ammonium chloride in 60% ethanol adjusted to ph 8.5 with ammonia. This reagent can be used for both carbonate and non-carbonate soils. The cations are analysed by flame spectrophotometric methods and a universal solution in which calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium can all be analysed without interferences is described. The cation exchange capacity is determined as the ammonium adsorbed at ph 8.5. The relative standard deviations in the cation exchange values by the extraction method for a representative range of soils are from 0.015 to 0.02. The principal source of this variation is in the subsampling of the laboratory samples of soils. /Author/TRRL/

• Corporate Authors:

  Commonwealth Scientific & Indus Res Org, Australia

  Division of Soils, 314 Albert Street
  East Melbourne, Victoria,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Tucker, B M
• Publication Date: 1974

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 46 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cation exchange; Cations; Chemical analysis; Ion exchange; Laboratories; Laboratory tests; Leaching; Measurement; Methodology; pH value; Resource extraction; Soils; Soluble salts; Solvents; Spectrophotometers; Standard deviation; Tests
• Uncontrolled Terms: Extraction (Chemistry)
• Old TRIS Terms: Solvent extraction tests
• ITRD Terms: 7124: Cation; 7171: Extraction; 7144: Ion exchange; 6237: Laboratory (not an organization); 5276: Leaching; 6136: Measurement; 9102: Method; 4156: Soil; 4519: Solvent
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00097957
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. 23 Tech. Pape
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 18 1975 12:00AM