Effects of allophanic ciays on the enzymatic activity of beta-amylase

During the past two decades, much evidence has been reported on the effects of clay minerals on biochemical reactions in the soil, such as breakdown of organic matter (1, 3, 8, 11-13, 22, 24), activity of enzymes (2, 7, 14, 16, 17, 20, 23), and action of antibiotics (9, 10, 15, 25, 26). These studies veere mostly concerned with crystalline silicate minerals, and only a very few papers have been published on the effects of amorphous inorganic colloids (2, 3, 11, 12). However, amorphous inorganic colloids, although more active than the crystalline colloids (19), may have been overlooked in soils because of lack of identifying methods.