de-oxidising

Updated: May 9, 2025

We may therefore conclude that the acids in the alimentary canal of worms are formed during the digestive process; and that probably they are nearly of the same nature as those in ordinary mould or humus. The latter are well known to have the power of de-oxidising or dissolving per- oxide of iron, as may be seen wherever peat overlies red sand, or where a rotten root penetrates such sand.

Charles Darwin - The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms, with observations on their habits