The Royal Institution

Calcium Carbonate - Disintegrating Quicklime (2013x34)

Air date: Apr 08, 2013

When water is added to quicklime, a fierce exothermic reaction takes place as calcium hydroxide, slaked lime, is formed. To prepare this demo Dr Peter Wothers ordered Calcium Carbonate blocks from a quarry in Portland which were cut up to fit in our furnace by a mason. Each block then took 48 hours to make by he