Limestone and building materials

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Limestone and building materials
Limestone and building materials
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Overview

• Rocks provide essential building materials.
• Limestone is a naturally occurring resource that
  provides a starting point for the manufacture of
  glass, cement and concrete.
• Limestone can be thermally decomposed to make new
  products.

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Calcium carbonate 1
Limestone is mainly composed of the compound
calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is quarried and can
be used as a building material. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of using limestone
as a building material?
Chrispo/Fotolia
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Calcium carbonate 2
Calcium carbonate can be decomposed by heating
(thermal decomposition) to make calcium oxide and
carbon dioxide. calcium carbonate ? calcium oxide
carbon dioxide CaCO3(s) ?
CaO(s) CO2(g)
What can calcium oxide be used for?
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Carbonates
The carbonates of magnesium, copper, zinc and
calcium decompose on heating in a similar
way. What would the equations be for the thermal
decomposition of these carbonates?

• MgCO3 ?
• CuCO3 ?
• CaCO3 ?

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Calcium oxide
Calcium oxide reacts with water to produce
calcium hydroxide.
calcium oxide water ? calcium hydroxide CaO(s)
H2O(l) ? Ca(OH)2(s)
Calcium hydroxide is an alkali that can be used
in the neutralisation of acids. When might it be
useful to neutralise acids on a large scale?
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Calcium hydroxide
A solution of calcium hydroxide in water
(limewater) reacts with carbon dioxide to produce
calcium carbonate.
calcium hydroxide solution carbon dioxide ?
calcium carbonate water Ca(OH)2(aq) CO2(g) ?
CaCO3(s) H2O(l)
Limewater is used as a test for carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide turns limewater cloudy. When are
tests for carbon dioxide needed?
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Reactions
What are the missing words in this cycle?
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Calcium carbonate and acid
Carbonates react with acids to produce a salt,
carbon dioxide and water. Limestone is damaged
by acid rain.
What would the chemical equation for this
reaction be?
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Cement
Limestone is heated with clay to make cement.
Cement is mixed with sand to make mortar and with
sand and aggregate to make concrete.
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Summary of uses