Soil organic matter is important for nutrient exchange in the soil environment, carbon sink, and soil fertility. Soil scientists usually estimate the amount of organic matter in a soil from its carbon content using the 1.724 conversion factor. The origin of this conversion factor is conventionally attributed to Jacob Maarten Van Bemmelen, a Dutch chemist. In the early nineteenth century, science academies devoted considerable attention to understanding soil humus to increase agricultural productivity. Van Bemmelen investigated the fertility of soils for growing tobacco in Indonesia. Van Bemmelen's 1890 publication used the 1.724 factor for estimating humus content from elemental analysis of C concentration. A survey of the scientific literature from the same period indicated that Emil Wolff was the first to suggest the factor. This paper draws a brief historical summary of van Bemmelen's research on soil organic matter, and discusses the origin and use of the 1.724 factor using the scientific literature from 1900s to 1930s. The origin of the factor is contextualized with the emerging humus theory of the 19^th century. Our study suggests that the factor has been erroneously attributed to van Bemmelen and widely used in English, French, Dutch, and German literature. The 1.724 factor was originally developed for the conversion of carbon to humic substances, which themselves do not have a clear definition. Many regional studies have indicated the inadequacy of the factor.

土壤有机质对于土壤环境，碳汇和土壤肥力中的养分交换非常重要。土壤科学家通常使用1.724转换因子从碳含量估算土壤中有机物的量。通常，此转换因子的来源是荷兰化学家Jacob Maarten Van Bemmelen。在19世纪初期，科学研究院投入了大量精力来了解土壤腐殖质以提高农业生产力。范·贝梅伦（Van Bemmelen）调查了印度尼西亚种植烟草的土壤肥力。Van Bemmelen在1890年的出版物中使用1.724因子从C浓度的元素分析中估算腐殖质含量。同期对科学文献的调查表明，埃米尔·沃尔夫（Emil Wolff）是第一个提出这一因素的人。本文简要介绍了范·贝梅伦（van Bemmelen）对土壤有机质的研究，并利用1900年代至1930年代的科学文献讨论了1.724因子的起源和使用。该因素的起源与19世纪新兴的腐殖质理论相关联^个世纪。我们的研究表明，该因素被错误地归因于范·贝梅伦（van Bemmelen），并广泛用于英语，法语，荷兰语和德语文学中。1.724因子最初是为将碳转化为腐殖质而开发的，它们本身并没有明确的定义。许多区域研究表明该因素不足。