Laboratories in different regions of Brazil do not standardize the procedures for particle size analysis. Solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium carbonate [(NaPO3)n + Na2CO3] are the most commonly used in the chemical dispersion of the particle of soil. The high pH of the NaOH solution favors the dispersion in soils with clay minerals of variable-charge in the clay fraction, as oxides of iron and aluminum present in tropical soils. Based on this statement it was aimed to test the efficiency of NaOH (D1), [(NaPO3)n + Na2CO3] (D2) and [(NaPO3)n + NaOH] (D3) solutions as chemical dispersants in the particle-size analysis of two horizons of 26 reference soils of the State of Pernambuco. The comparison between the dispersants was performed using the statistics test L&O. The comparison of D2 = f (D1) and D3 = f (D1) showed no agreement between the dispersants. The intercept in the linear regression equation for the clay fraction, significant at 0.01 and negative, showed highest clay values when using D1. The NaOH solution was the most suitable dispersant to determine the texture of the analysed samples, representative of 82% of the total area of the state.
sodium hydroxide; particle-size analysis; permanent charge; variable charge; soil texture
