During the past few years there has been a marked increase in the use of advanced chemical methods in studies of soil and clay mineral systems, but only a relatively small number of soil and clay scientists have become intimately associ ated and acquainted with these new techniques. Perhaps the most important obstacles to technology transfer in this area are: 1) many soil and clay chemists have had insufficient opportunities to explore in depth the working principles of more recent spectroscopic developments, and therefore are unable to exploit the vast wealth of information that is available through the application of such ad vanced technology to soil chemical research; and 2) the necessary equipment gen erally is unavailable unless collaborative projects are undertaken with chemists and physicists who already have the instruments. The objective of the NATO Advanced Study Institute held at the University of Illinois from July 23 to August 4, 1979, was to partially alleviate these obstacles. This volume, which is an extensively edited and reviewed version of the proceedings of that Advanced Study Institute, is an essential aspect of that purpose. Herein are summarized the theory and most current applications of six different spectroscopic methods to soil and/or clay mineral systems. The instrumental methods examined are Mossbauer, neutron scattering, x-ray photoelectron (XPS, ESCA), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron spin resonance (ESR, EPR), and photoacoustic spectroscopy. Contributing authors were also lecturers at the Advanced Study Institute, and are each well known and respected authorities in their respective disciplines."

Probably more than any other element, iron markedly influences the chemical and physical properties of soils and sediments in the earth. Considering its transition metal status, with potential variation in electronic configuration, ionic radius, and magnetic moment, combined with its abundance and relatively large mass, little wonder that one sees its unique influence on every hand. Pre sentations at the NATO Advanced Study Institute (NATO AS!) on Iron in Soils and Clay Minerals reviewed and discussed the occurrence, behavior, and properties of Fe-bearing minerals found in soils and in the clay mineral groups kaolinite, smectite, and mica. Also discussed at the NATO AS! were the basic chemical properties of Fe, methods for separating and identifying Fe in minerals, and the role of Fe minerals in weathering and other soil-forming processes. The present publication is the reviewed and edited proceedings of that Advanced Study Institute. The sequence of chapters follows the general pattern beginning with introductory chapters which overview the general occurrence of Fe in the earth and its chemistry, both generally and in mineral environments, followed by identification and characterization methods for Fe and Fe phases in minerals. The properties and behavior of Fe oxides, Fe-bearing clay minerals, and other Fe minerals in soils are then described, and the text ends with a summary of the role of Fe in soil-forming processes. A Table of Contents and subject index are provided to assist the reader in finding specific topics within the text.

Probably more than any other element, iron markedly influences the chemical and physical properties of soils and sediments in the earth. Considering its transition metal status, with potential variation in electronic configuration, ionic radius, and magnetic moment, combined with its abundance and relatively large mass, little wonder that one sees its unique influence on every hand. Pre sentations at the NATO Advanced Study Institute (NATO AS ) on Iron in Soils and Clay Minerals reviewed and discussed the occurrence, behavior, and properties of Fe-bearing minerals found in soils and in the clay mineral groups kaolinite, smectite, and mica. Also discussed at the NATO AS were the basic chemical properties of Fe, methods for separating and identifying Fe in minerals, and the role of Fe minerals in weathering and other soil-forming processes. The present publication is the reviewed and edited proceedings of that Advanced Study Institute. The sequence of chapters follows the general pattern beginning with introductory chapters which overview the general occurrence of Fe in the earth and its chemistry, both generally and in mineral environments, followed by identification and characterization methods for Fe and Fe phases in minerals. The properties and behavior of Fe oxides, Fe-bearing clay minerals, and other Fe minerals in soils are then described, and the text ends with a summary of the role of Fe in soil-forming processes. A Table of Contents and subject index are provided to assist the reader in finding specific topics within the text."

During the past few years there has been a marked increase in the use of advanced chemical methods in studies of soil and clay mineral systems, but only a relatively small number of soil and clay scientists have become intimately associ ated and acquainted with these new techniques. Perhaps the most important obstacles to technology transfer in this area are: 1) many soil and clay chemists have had insufficient opportunities to explore in depth the working principles of more recent spectroscopic developments, and therefore are unable to exploit the vast wealth of information that is available through the application of such ad vanced technology to soil chemical research; and 2) the necessary equipment gen erally is unavailable unless collaborative projects are undertaken with chemists and physicists who already have the instruments. The objective of the NATO Advanced Study Institute held at the University of Illinois from July 23 to August 4, 1979, was to partially alleviate these obstacles. This volume, which is an extensively edited and reviewed version of the proceedings of that Advanced Study Institute, is an essential aspect of that purpose. Herein are summarized the theory and most current applications of six different spectroscopic methods to soil and/or clay mineral systems. The instrumental methods examined are Mossbauer, neutron scattering, x-ray photoelectron (XPS, ESCA), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron spin resonance (ESR, EPR), and photoacoustic spectroscopy. Contributing authors were also lecturers at the Advanced Study Institute, and are each well known and respected authorities in their respective disciplines."