Determination of total limestone (total calcium and magnesium carbonate) in soil
Experimental procedure:
1. Weigh 1 gram of fine soil
2. Fill the lime meter cylinder with H2O, taking care to eliminate any air present and to position the beaker intended to collect the exhaust H2O
3. Introduce fine soil into the flask
4. Take 2 ml of Hcl with the pipette and place it in the small tube attached to the calcimeter itself.
5. Place the test tube in the flask, taking care not to spill Hcl.
6. Connect the flask to the calcimeter by means of the appropriate ducts and plugs, taking care to bleed the air from the circuit.
7. After hermetically sealing the calcimeter, shake the Erlenmeyer flask causing the reaction between the Hcl contained in the tube and the soil.
8. The Hcl reacting with the calcium and magnesium carbonates present in the soil sample produces the formation of gaseous CO2 that exerts a pressure on the H2O column of the central cylinder of the calcium meter.
9. CO2 pressure causes water to escape through the drain pipe.
10. Reading on the graduated scale present in the cylinder of the calcium meter, the total percentage of calcium and magnesium carbonates present in the soil sample is obtained.
Expected results:
Calcium carbonate influences phosphoric nutrition by insolubilising phosphorus, and the higher its content in the soil, the lower the pH must be for better plant nutrition.
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