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.

Zusammenfassung
` ... is really valuable and useful. It is not only a reference book but moreover a complete and rigorous study treatise, indispenssable for all prsons who need to learn about iron and its compounds, including the organic complexes and microbiological reactions. It plainly satisfies these aims and should be compulsory reading for university and research institute libraries. It is valuable for any scientist related with soil science, geology, sedimentology, geochemistry, mineralogy, or, more in general, anybody connected with the geosciences. It also provides a very good, up to date revision of iron literature up to 1987 and is, therefore, a rich source of information.'
Geoderma, 47:1

Inhalt

The Geobiochemical Cycle of Iron.- 2. An Introduction to Physical and Chemical Principles.- 3. Solubility and Redox Equilibria of Iron Compounds in Soils.- 4. Separation and Concentration of Iron-Containing Phases.- 5. Phase Identification by Selective Dissolution Techniques.- 6. The Assay for Iron in Soils and Clay Minerals.- 7. Introduction to Crystal Structures of Iron-Containing Minerals.- 8. The Application of Micro-Beam Methods to Iron Minerals in Soils.- 9. Some Properties of Soil and Synthetic Iron Oxides.- 10. Introduction to the Surface Charge Properties of Iron oxides and Oxidic Soils.- 11. Occurrence and Formation of Iron Oxides in Various Pedoenvironments.- 12. Properties and Behavior of Iron Oxides as Determined by Mossbauer Spectroscopy.- 13. Iron Compounds as Indicators of Pedogenic Processes: Examples from the Southern Hemisphere.- 14. Magnetic Properties of Iron in Soil Iron Oxides and Clay Minerals.- 15. Structural Iron in Kaolinites and in Associated Ancillary Minerals.- 16. Role of Iron in Mica Weathering.- 17. Structural Iron in Smectites.- 18. The Characterization of Iron Complexes with Soil Organic Matter.- 19. Chemistry of Iron in Calcareous Systems.- 20. Microbiological Reactions of Iron in Soils.- 21. The Fate of Iron During Soil Formation in Humid-Temperate Environments.- 22. Laterites and Laterization Processes.- 23. Effects of Seasonal Redox Processes Involving Iron on the Chemistry of Periodically Reduced Soils.- 24. Long-Term Chemical, Mineralogical, and Morphological Effects of Iron-Redox Processes in Periodically Flooded Soils.- 25. Redox Processes of Iron and Sulfur Involved in the Formation of Acid Sulfate Soils.