calcium carbonate

noun

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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

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Recent Examples of calcium carbonate from the Web

This produces potassium hydroxide, which is recycled back to the contactor, and pellets of calcium carbonate.

— The Economist, "Extracting carbon dioxide from the air is possible. But at what cost?," 7 June 2018
Coral colonies are made up of soft-bodied animals called polyps, which (with the help of symbiotic algae) secrete thin layers of the mineral calcium carbonate.

— elizabeth svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018
Hairline fractures mend themselves within days when calcium ions in the mix react with rainwater and carbon dioxide to create a calcium carbonate patch.

— pm editors, Popular Mechanics, "110 Predictions For the Next 110 Years," 10 Dec. 2012
While sand of all sorts is usually made by material breaking down into smaller pieces, in water with high concentrations of calcium carbonate or certain other minerals, the opposite can happen.

— Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Sand," 18 May 2018
Alkaline soils are generally composed of basic (high pH) parent materials such as limestone (calcium carbonate).

— jessica davis, Good Housekeeping, "What To Do If Your Soil Is Too Alkaline," 23 July 2015
The water temperature is about 52 degrees and has been tested at 98.9% pure; the residual is calcium carbonate with some traces of iron.

— john bordsen, USA TODAY, "North Korean nukes tracked from Tennessee tourist caverns," 13 Apr. 2018
This formula contains calcium carbonate, which can neutralize stomach acid.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Here's What's Causing Your Indigestion Pain — and How to Get Rid of It," 3 Apr. 2018
All three types of crystals that the team studied—calcite, a form of calcium carbonate; cordierite, an iron- and magnesium-rich silicate; and tourmaline, a boron-rich silicate—worked well at intervals of 3 hours or less.

— sid perkins, Science | AAAS, "Viking seafarers may have navigated with legendary crystals," 3 Apr. 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.

First Known Use of calcium carbonate

1868

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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