Calcium carbonate
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Chemical formula | CaCO3 |
---|---|
OTP appearance | white powder |
Molar Mass(g/mol) | 100 |
Density(g/cc) | 2.711 |
Melting Point(°C) | decomp |
Solubility in water(g/L) | 0.013 |
NFPA 704 |
|
Thermal Decomposition | calcium carbonate
550-880°C CaO,CO2 |
Along with silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide, calcium carbonate is one of the most common substances on earth.
Uses
Calcium carbonate is a central substance to the chemistry of Novogenesis. It is available from a large number of sources, relatively safe chemically and biologically, and provides routes to and from a large variety of other salts via metathesis and thermal decomposition. Its insolubility and nontoxic nature make it an ideal metathesis product.
Primary
- Calcium carbonate is the feedstock for calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide, strong alkalis.
Secondary
- Pharmacopia: Antacid
- Source of carbon dioxide by thermal decomposition
Natural Occurrence
- It occurrs naturally as the minerals calcite, limestone, and chalk, among others.
- Sea shells and egg shells are primarily calcium carbonate
- Some white sand is primarily calcium carbonate
Locations
- Limestone
- BLM
- California
- Chambliss Rock Collecting Area
- Marble Mountain Rock Collecting Area
- California
- BLM
Hazards
Calcium carbonate exposure and ingestion are relatively safe. Its unreactive nature makes it fairly bio-inert. Inhalation of fine powder is safER than the inhalation of almost anything else.
Production
- Gathering any of the naturally occurring versions
- from any soluble calcium salt (-hydroxide, -chloride, -acetate, etc)
- via bubbling carbon dioxide through the solution, causing the carbonate to precipitate.
- via metathesis with another carbonate compound
- from -oxide via exposure to air