Physicochemical principles of the fractal organization of soil colloids

An electron-microscopic study was conducted of gel films collected from aggregates from humus-accumulative horizons of chernozem and soddy-podzolic soils. The aggregates were dried and then capillary-wetted and immersed in water, Solutions obtained by pressing from these soils were also studied. Based on the results obtained, a hypothetical mechanism was proposed for the development of fractal organization of soil colloids, which involves the fixation of micron-size mineral particles in the humus gel and their transformation under the effect of aggressive substances with the formation of colloidal particles of reaction products diffusing in the humus gel. Humus macromolecules contain many polar groups; therefore, the colloidal particles pass some distance and are then fixed on these groups. The greater the distance from a coarse particle in the center of a cluster the smaller the number of colloidal particles capable of traversing it. Therefore, the concentration of colloidal particles decreases when going from the cluster center to its periphery according to an exponential law, which results in the development of the fractal organization in the colloidal soil component. Results of soil studies using the small-angle neutron scattering method were analyzed in terms of the hypothesis proposed.