Limestone Flashcards
What is limestone mainly made up of?
Calcium carbonate
What happens when calcium carbonate is heated?
It breaks down to form carbon dioxide and calcium oxide. Calcium oxides reacts with water to produce calcium hydroxide.
What are the uses of limestone?
It is used to make cement, mortar and concrete.
What is the reaction used to break down calcium carbonate?
Thermal Decomposition,
calcium carbonate + heat = calcium oxide + carbon dioxide
CaCO3+ heat = CaO + CO2
Which other metals decompose using thermal decomposition?
Sodium Carbonate
Magnesium Carbonate
Copper Carbonate
Which metals require a lot of energy to decompose?
Metals high up in the reactivity series (such as sodium, calcium and magnesium) have carbonates that need a lot of energy to decompose them.
Which metals are easily composed?
Metals low down in the reactivity series, such as copper, have carbonates that are easily decomposed.
How is calcium oxide formed?
If calcium carbonate is heated strongly, it breaks down to form calcium oxide and carbon dioxide. Calcium oxide is yellow when hot, but white when cold.
How is calcium hydroxide formed?
Calcium oxide reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide, which is an alkali.
How is limestone found and what is it used for?
Limestone is quarried out of the ground and used as a building material.
What is calcium hydroxide used for?
To neutralise excess acidity.
What are some advantages of the limestone industry?
Limestone is a valuable, natural resource used to make things such as glass and concrete.
Limestone quarrying provides employment opportunities that support the local economy in towns around the quarry.
What are some of the disadvantages of the limestone industry?
Limestone quarries are visible from a long distances and may permanently disfigure the local environment.
Quarrying is a heavy industry that creates noise and traffic, which damages people’s quality of life.
