Appendix B: Chemical Reactions of Metals
The principal factors that control bioavailability are discussed in greater detail in the Lead, Arsenic, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) chapters. More detailed discussion and references are provided here to direct readers interested in the details of soil chemistry and its effects on bioavailability of metals in soils.
Metals and metalloids, such as arsenic, undergo a wide variety of chemical reactions in soil, and these reactions in turn relate (in possibly complex ways) to bioavailability. For simplicity, “metals” is used here to refer to both metals and metalloids. Several representative reactions that affect metals availability in soil are presented in this section (Basta, Ryan, and Chaney 2005).
B.1 Metals Reaction with Iron and Manganese Oxides
B.2 Metal Reaction with Organic Matter
B.3 Metal Precipitation with Specific Anions
B.4 The Effect of Soil Chemical Reactions on Bioaccessibility