Knowra Carbonate Carbonate A carbonate is a salt containing the carbonate ion, CO₃²⁻, or an ester containing a carbonate group, –O–C(=O)–O–. Carbonates occur in minerals, dissolved inorganic carbon, and synthetic materials.
Carbonate ion : The polyatomic anion CO₃²⁻, with a central carbon atom bonded to three oxygen atoms. It is the defining ionic unit in carbonate salts.
Carbonate equilibria : The linked acid–base equilibria among dissolved carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, bicarbonate, and carbonate. These equilibria determine which carbonate species predominate in water.
Portland cement : A hydraulic binder made mainly by grinding clinker containing calcium silicate and aluminate phases. Carbonate-bearing limestone is a major raw material for its clinker.
Carbon cycle : The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. Carbonate formation and dissolution transfer carbon between ocean water and solid Earth.
Carbonic acid : A weak diprotic acid, H₂CO₃, formed when carbon dioxide dissolves in water. Its dissociation produces bicarbonate and carbonate ions.
Solubility product : An equilibrium constant describing the dissolution of a sparingly soluble ionic solid. It predicts when carbonate minerals dissolve or precipitate.
Lime kiln : An industrial furnace that heats limestone to produce quicklime and carbon dioxide. It exploits calcium carbonate’s thermal decomposition.
Ocean acidification : The decrease in ocean pH caused mainly by uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Extra dissolved CO₂ lowers carbonate-ion availability for shell-forming organisms.
Bicarbonate : The hydrogen carbonate ion, HCO₃⁻, formed by protonation of carbonate or deprotonation of carbonic acid. It is carbonate’s principal protonated partner in aqueous chemistry.
Precipitation (chemistry) : The formation of a solid from a solution when dissolved species exceed saturation. Carbonate precipitation builds minerals such as calcite.
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