Incorporating fundamental principles as well as up-to-date applications in soil formation, this work emphasizes the equal importance of organic and inorganic soil constituents by delineating the role of complex carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, lignins, enzymes, and humic acids in soil reactions. This edition features coverage of the relation of pe-pH with the biochemical cycle, soil air quality and soil humidity, thermodynamics in cation exchange and its connection with the quantity/intensity ratio, and more.