Calcium carbonate CAS#471-34-1

Product Description of Calcium Carbonate (CAS# 471-34-1)

Calcium carbonate exists in nature as limestone, presenting multiple variants such as marble, chalk and coral. Being among the most prevalent feedstocks for chemical manufacturing, it is heavily involved in producing constructionrelated goods including cement, mortar, plaster, refractory materials and glass. It further serves as feedstock for manufacturing quicklime, slaked lime and multiple calciumbased chemical derivatives.

Two major commercial grades of calcium carbonate can be obtained: ground powder type and precipitated variant. Precipitated calcium carbonate delivers finer grain size, elevated purity and consistent particle distribution, which qualifies it for numerous commercial scenarios. Multiple specifications of precipitated calcium carbonate are incorporated into textiles, paper, coating systems, plastics, adhesives, sealants and cosmetic formulations.

This substance possesses two principal crystal modifications: hexagonal calcite and orthorhombic aragonite. Calcite undergoes decomposition at 825 °C, whereas aragonite melts at 1339 °C under 102.5 atm pressure. Their respective density values stand at 2.71 g/cm³ for calcite and 2.83 g/cm³ for aragonite. Calcium carbonate does not dissolve in water (solubility 15 mg/L at 25 °C), yet it dissolves readily in dilute inorganic acids.

As a naturally originated compound, calcium carbonate is broadly distributed within living organisms and the Earth’s crust. Ranked second only to quartz, it represents one of the most plentiful minerals on earth, predominantly existing as calcite. From a geological perspective, it appears in several mineral phases covering calcite, aragonite and scarce vaterite. Temperature, pressure and other formation circumstances determine its final crystal configuration.