calcium carbonate

noun

Definition of calcium carbonate

: a compound CaCO₃ found in nature as calcite and aragonite and in plant ashes, bones, and shells and used especially in making lime and portland cement and as a gastric antacid

Examples of calcium carbonate in a Sentence

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As a type of metamorphic rock that’s generally not foliated (AKA not comprised of layers of stone), quality marble is often made of either calcium carbonate or magnesium carbonate. — Kelly Dawson, House Beautiful, "Everything You Need to Know About Having a Marble Countertop," 5 Feb. 2019 Many chalks contain calcium carbonate, which repels ants. — Womansday.com Staff, Woman's Day, "5 Ways… with Chalk," 17 Feb. 2010 There the calcium carbonate is heated to 900°C to release pure carbon-dioxide gas ready for capture, and calcium oxide. — The Economist, "Extracting carbon dioxide from the air is possible. But at what cost?," 7 June 2018 The mixture, now available for the first time ever in the U.S., includes rose oil, calcium carbonate, male pine flower pollen, propolis, beeswax, and olive oil. — Samantha Leal, Marie Claire, "This New Moisturizer Actually Heals Your Sunburn," 5 Aug. 2016 On Harbour Island in the Bahamas—one of the most famous beaches pictured here—the pink hue comes from foraminifera, a microscopic organism that actually has a reddish-pink shell, while the sand is a mix of coral, shells, and calcium carbonate. — Caitlin Morton, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Most Beautiful Pink Sand Beaches in the World," 16 Aug. 2018 Portland cement is produced in large part with limestone, a type of rock that's composed mainly of a chemical compound called calcium carbonate. — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, "Cement Producers Are Developing a Plan to Reduce CO2 Emissions," 9 July 2018 Many rivers are dumping more sediment into the ocean—carrying heavy metals—as a result of things like soil erosion; continuing ocean acidification will scrub calcium carbonate from that sediment, changing the character of the layer. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Are we sure there wasn’t a coal-burning species 55 million years ago?," 23 Apr. 2018 Otoliths are made up of calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up egg shells and pearls. — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, "Symphony of the salmon: How scientists are learning by putting fish migration to music," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calcium carbonate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near calcium carbonate

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calcium chloride

calcium citrate

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Last Updated

18 Feb 2019

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The first known use of calcium carbonate was in 1868

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More Definitions for calcium carbonate

calcium carbonate

noun

Kids Definition of calcium carbonate

: a solid substance that is found as limestone and marble and in plant ashes, bones, and shells

calcium carbonate

noun

Medical Definition of calcium carbonate

: a calcium salt CaCO₃ that is found in limestone, chalk, marble, plant ashes, bones, and many shells, that is obtained also as a white precipitate by passing carbon dioxide into a suspension of calcium hydroxide in water, and that is used in dentifrices and in pharmaceuticals as an antacid and to supplement bodily calcium stores