SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF CALCITE SURFACE-AREA AND CONTENT IN SOILS

A method to simultaneously determine calcite surface area and content in soils has been developed. The proposed procedure is based on rates of CO//2 production upon reaction of soil with buffered acid solutions under controlled conditions. A pressure transducer connected to a chart recorder allows determination of soil calcite dissolution rate, which is directly proportional to calcite surface area. The coefficient of variation for surface area was 0. 05, based on nine replicated analyses of the same soil.