Base saturation is an inadequate term for Soil Science
Tales Tiecher, Luciano Colpo Gatiboni, Danilo Rheinheimer dos Santos, Carlos Alberto Bissani, Amanda Posselt Martins, Clésio Gianello, Déborah Pinheiro Dick, Edson Campanhola Bortoluzzi, Pedro Alexandre Varella Escosteguy, Leandro Souza da Silva, Gustavo Brunetto, Fábio Joel Kochem Mallmann, Volnei Pauletti, Cledimar Rogério Lourenzi, Rogério Oliveira de Sousa, Filipe Selau Carlos, Antônio Carlos de Azevedo
Abstract
Bases are chemical species that donate electrons, accept protons, or release hydroxyls (OH–) in aqueous solution. In Soil Science, “base saturation”, “exchangeable bases” or “basic cations” has been widely used to distinguish Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, and K+ from H+ and Al3+ cations. This terminology is confusing since none of these cations are truly a base in chemistry sense. However, in the absence of the proposition of a correct term, the term “base saturation” remains in use nowadays, causing confusion [...]