A Centrifuge Method for Obtaining Soil Solution Using an Immiscible Liquid 1

The low toxicity organic liquid ethyl benzoylacetate (EBA) was found to be an effective immiscible displacent for soil solution removal. The ionic composition of soil solution displaced by EBA was, in general, comparable to that removed by the toxic, immiscible displacent CCl₄. Increasing the relative centrifugal force (RCF) from 4.8 × 10⁵ to 49.4 × 10⁵ m s⁻² nearly doubled the volume of soil solution displaced but did not affect the ionic composition of the soil solution. The procedure provided an adequate volume of soil solution for chemical analysis when 120 g of moist soil were centrifuged for 0.5 h at an RCF of 49.4 × 10⁵ m s⁻².