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

Recent Examples on the Web

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 The steam travels through loops that efficiently dump heat into the calcium carbonate before reaching a generator turbine that provides the plant’s electricity. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Machines that suck CO₂ from the air might be cheaper than we thought," 7 June 2018 When the coral slices were put in the X-ray scanner, a distinctive series of light and dark growth rings became visible, reflecting the density of the calcium carbonate that made up the coral skeleton. — Elizabeth Svoboda, Scientific American, "Cores from Coral Reefs Hold Secrets of the Seas’ Past and Future," 6 June 2018 The tests will include a plume of ice crystals, calcium carbonate and forms of sulfur that volcanos tend to erupt. — John Fialka, Scientific American, "The Best Way to Shade Earth," 5 July 2018 That’s illuminating because reefs are built by tiny coral organisms that create their own skeletons out of calcium carbonate. — Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, "This Burrowing Clam Is Not Boring. It Uses Acid to Make Its Home.," 14 June 2018 These contain crystals of calcium carbonate called raphides, which take the form of microscopic needles. — Kenneth Setzer, miamiherald, "Some of South Florida's most popular plants may be toxic to pets," 14 June 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

16 Sep 2018

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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