Hydrated Lime
(Calcium Hydroxide)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, hydrated lime, or pickling lime, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ca(OH)2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder, and is obtained when calcium oxide (called lime or quicklime) is mixed, or "slaked" with water. It can also be precipitated by mixing an aqueous solution of calcium chloride and an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. The name of the natural mineral is portlandite.

When heated to 512 °C, the partial pressure of water in equilibrium with calcium hydroxide reaches 101 kPa and decomposes into calcium oxide and water.[1] A suspension of fine calcium hydroxide particles in water is called milk of lime. The solution is called lime water and is a medium strength base that reacts violently with acids and attacks many metals in presence of water. It turns milky if carbon dioxide is passed through, due to precipitation of calcium carbonate.


Uses

A flocculant, in water and sewage treatment and improvement of acid soils

Used to create baseball diamond lines for professional baseball fields.

An ingredient in whitewash, mortar, and plaster

An alkali used as a lye substitute in no-lye hair relaxers

A chemical depilatory agent found in Nair

A chemical reagent In the reef aquarium hobby for adding bio-available calcium in solution for calcium-using animals such as algae, snails, hard tube worms, and Corals (often referred to as Kalkwasser mix), and also to increase the alkalinity of the water.

In the tanning industry for neutralization of extra acid In the petroleum refining industry for the manufacture of additives to oils (salicatic, sulphatic, fenatic)

In the chemical industry for manufacture of calcium stearate

For clearing a brine of carbonates of calcium and magnesium in the manufacture of salt for food and pharmacopoeia

A filler In the petrochemical industry for manufacturing solid oil of various marks In the manufacture of brake pads

In the manufacture of ebonite

For preparation of dry mixes for painting and decorating In manufacturing mixes for pesticides

In manufacturing the trademarked compound "Polikar", an antifungal and antimicrobial preservative for vegetables in storage


Calcium hydroxide is known to have a strong anti-microbial effect and is a bone-regeneration stimulant