Abstract
Soils are the ultimate examples of physically and chemically irregular mixtures. They are also dynamic. Early investigators consequently did not understand the physical chemistry of pesticides in soil and water. By taking shortcuts instead of trying to understand the physical chemistry, they measured the wrong variables, used the wrong units, calculated the wrong parameters, and totally ignored chemical stoichiometry. Theoretical concepts for the physical chemistry of pesticides in soil have been published during the last quarter century. They are experimentally supported. Yet, chemically incorrect descriptions persist in the literature to this day. That has serious environmental and economic consequences. In particular, government regulators make legally binding pesticide decisions based on computer predictions that are wrong by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude. This needs the attention of scientists, governments, and multinational corporations.
Highlights
A soil is the ultimate example of physically and chemically irregular mixtures
This has to be taken into account for the chemical kinetics and mechanisms of pesticides in soil and water at the molecular level
The scientific challenge is the adaptation to complicated dynamic mixtures, and the physical chemistry that is more readily understood for monomeric pure reagents
Summary
A soil is the ultimate example of physically and chemically irregular mixtures. This has to be taken into account for the chemical kinetics and mechanisms of pesticides in soil and water at the molecular level. The scientific challenge is the adaptation to complicated dynamic mixtures, and the physical chemistry that is more readily understood for monomeric pure reagents. The engineering challenge is the use of this physical chemistry for the prediction and control of pesticides in soil and water under field conditions. A better understanding of the physical chemistry of soils can improve the control of pesticides under field conditions.
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