Data from: Rapid formation of abiotic CO2 after adding phenolic gallic acid, to agricultural soils

Abiotic efflux of CO₂ from soil is typically attributed to weathering of carbonates but also may be from basic biological and chemical processes in the soil such as concurrent oxidation of organic matter and reduction of metal oxides. However, little is known about how such reactions vary due to differences in the soil environment . An experiment was conducted to measure CO₂ emissions formed during 4-h incubations of soil from different management systems (n = 5), archived benchmark soils from sites across the U.S. (n = 18), and samples of reagent-grade metal oxides (n = 4). Treatments included water, pH 4 phthalate buffer, glucose (0.029 M), or gallic acid (0.025 M). Gallic acid is a simple phenolic constituent of root exudates found in the soil that can result in redox reactions producing CO₂. Data may be used to understand processes contributing to abiotic sources of CO₂ from agricultural land.