Soil Chromatography

Material and apparatus:

Procedure:
1) a circular filter paper with a cylindrical paper wick sitting in a 0.5%
solution of silver nitrate is allowed to absorb the solution, which
spreads by capillary action, to a certain diameter.
2) The wick is removed and the paper is dried.
3) the substance (soil) to be tested is mixed with a 0.1 to 1% solution of
sodium hydroxide and distilled water* and let stand for a period of time
(15min) .
4) The prepared filter paper is then allowed to absorb this solution and
the substance spreads over the paper.
5) When it has spread to a certain distance, the wick is removed and the
paper dried. The paper is then exposed to indirect sunlight to let the
image develop.
***Diluted soil in a mixture of water and sodium hydroxide runs up a
central wick and the minerals in the sample are the first thing that
make an appearance on the disc, followed by microbes and enzymes.
When the discs are dry, they are exposed to the sun and the image is
fixed permanently on the filter paper.

***There are 4 major sections to a chromatogram. The different parts of the soil separate
due to size on the filter paper.
The central zone. This is the zone in the centre. The size and colour indicate soil
compaction. Black colour indicates soil that has been destroyed by machinery
(compaction) and chemical application. A white and well defined central zone indicates
lots of raw nitrogen addition or compost that has been mixed with nitrogenous fertilisers.
Cream or tan colours indicate healthy, organic soil.
The Mineral zone. The next band after the central zone. The size and colour of this zone
indicate soil health. Again, tan and cream are ideal colours and purplbe, green or black
are indicators of unhealthy soil.
The intermediate zone A darker brown in colour. This indicates how much organic mater
is in the soil.

The enzyme zone. This is the outer zone and indicates the enzymatic activity in the soil
and how much free Nitrogen is available. The size and shape of the outer teeth and how
the chroma terminates