Information on Calcium Hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide usually comes in the form of white powderor colorless crystal. Its chemical formula is Ca(OH)2. Ca stands for calcium,while OH stands for hydroxide. It is also sometimes referred to as hydratedlime, pickling lime or slaked lime. It may decompose in water, but only if itgets heated properly. If it does not get heated properly it will remain in theform of suspension. A fine particle calcium hydroxide is called milk of lime orlime water and it is often used in numerous different types of chemicalprocessing.
Uses
The most commonly used from of calcium hydroxide is in itssuspended form, where it is used as lime. It is known for its potent flocculantproperties. Flocculation is a process in which the water suspended calciumhydroxide particles actually come out of that suspension in the form of flakes.There is a similar process called precipitation, in which the particles are notdissolved in the water. These suspensions can be used for the regulation ofsoil acidity and neutralization of excess acids in sewage. The flocculantproperties of calcium hydroxide are also extensively used in the neutralizationof excess amount of acid which occur in the industrial process of tanning.Calcium hydroxide is also used in whitewash, and for this purpose it is oftenreferred to as salsomine, kalsomine or calcimine. It is actually a very cheaptype of paint. It can also be used for the production of mortal, along withlime or cement, and water. Calcium hydroxide can also be used as lime plasterfor the preparation of plaster.
Calcium hydroxide is actually a base and it can be used as asubstitute for lye. It is commonly used for the relaxing of hair, making thehair less curly and it can also be used as a very effective chemicaldepilatory. It is perfectly safe to use calcium hydroxide as a calciumsupplement in baby formulas. Calcium hydroxide can also be used for theneutralization of acids in anti-microbial and anti-mildew formulas in order toform a stable fungicide. It can also be used in aquariums in order to providevarious organisms with naturally occurring calcium. Calcium hydroxide is oftenused in the production of petroleum oils, brake pads, sugar, certain types ofrubber, dry mixes for paint, calcium stearate, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.Native Americans use it for certain cooking purposes as well. It is also usedin dentistry for the root canal procedures.
- medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002910.htm
- pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Calcium-hydroxide
- Photo courtesy of Walkerma by Wikimedia Commons: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calcium_hydroxide.jpg
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