Relationship between nanoporosity and other properties of soil

A study of the nanoporosity of soils was conducted to determine the correla tion between several soil properties and nanoporosity as measured by mercur y-intrusion porosimetry, The volume of pores with diameters < 10(4) nm and the surface area of these nanopores differed greatly among 16 soils. The vo lume and surface area of nanopores in some soils were mainly in pores of di ameters < 100 nm, In others, the volume and surface area were associated ch iefly with pores of 10(3)-10(4) nm diameter. The volume was correlated with organic C content for pores of diameters of 10(3)-10(4) nm and 10(2)-10(3) nm (r values of 0.583 and 0.688, respectively) and clay content for pores with diameters < 10(2) nm (r value of 0.512), The surface area of the soils was correlated with volume of pores < 100 nm (r = 0.956), As a result of t he abundance of nanopores and the large surface areas associated with them, we suggest that additional research be conducted to assess their importanc e in soil toxicology.