Chemical analysis of soil is an important tool for determining its composition, properties and suitability for various purposes, in particular for agricultural use, construction, environmental studies, etc.

The main indicators, which are determined during the chemical analysis of the soil:

• Agrochemical indicators (for agriculture):
• • pH of the soil solution (acidity): Affects the availability of nutrients for plants.
  • The content of organic matter (hummus): Important for soil fertility, affects the structure, moisture content and nutrient content.
  • The content of the main power elements:
    • Nitrogen (N): General, easily hydrolyzed, nitrate, ammonium.
    • Phosphorus (P): Moving forms (by different methods, for example, according to Machigin, Olsen).
    • Potassium (K): Moving forms (by different methods).
  • The content of trace elements: Brown (B), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), cobalt (Co) and others.
  • Cation exchange capacity (IVF): It characterizes the ability of the soil to retain positively charged ions of nutrients.
  • Degree of saturation with bases (S): The ratio of the amount of exchangeable cations to ЕКО.
  • Hydrolytic acidity (Gk): It characterizes the potential acidity of the soil.
  • Carbonate content (CO₃²⁻) and bicarbonates (HCO₃⁻): Affects the pH and availability of some elements.
  • Sulfate content (SO₄²⁻): An important element of nutrition.
  • Chloride content (Cl⁻): Salinity index.
• Environmental indicators (to assess pollution):
  • The content of heavy metals: Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), nickel (In) and others.
  • The content of petroleum products.
  • Content of pesticides and herbicides.
  • Content of radionuclides.
  • Nitrate and nitrite content (to assess contamination with fertilizers or organic waste).
  • Phenol content.
• Physico-chemical parameters (general characteristics):
  • Conductivity (ЕС): Indicator of the total amount of soluble salts (salinity).
  • Redox potential (Eh).

Methods of chemical soil analysis:

Various laboratory methods are used to determine these indicators, which include:

• Extraction methods: Extraction of certain substances from the soil using various solutions (water, saline, acidic).
• Titrimetric methods: Determination of the concentration of substances by their interaction with solutions of known concentration.
• Spectrophotometric and colorimetric methods: Determination of the concentration of substances by the intensity of the color of solutions after reaction with certain reagents.
• Potentiometric methods: Measurement of pH and redox potential using ion-selective electrodes.
• Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES, ICP-MS): To determine the content of heavy metals and trace elements.
• Chromatographic methods (gas chromatography – GH, high pressure liquid chromatography – TOP): To determine organic pollutants (pesticides, oil products).
• Radiometric methods: To determine the content of radionuclides.

The choice of specific methods depends on the purpose of the analysis, soil type and required indicators. Laboratory analysis of the soil is carried out in the specialized laboratory of the LLC “LIMIT PLUS” by experienced specialists using standardized methods and equipment.