Page 199 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

CALCIUM HYDROXIDE

Calcium hydroxide. Red atoms
are oxygen; white atoms are
hydrogen; and the turquoise
atom is calcium. PUBLISH E R S
RESOURCE GROUP

COMMON USES AND POTENTIAL HAZARDS
Calcium hydroxide has a number of uses in building and
paving materials. It is found in mortar, plasters, and cements.
When used in mortar, calcium hydroxide is mixed with sand
and water to make a paste. The paste is put between bricks to
hold them together. When water in the paste evaporates, the
remaining sand-calcium hydroxide mixture becomes a hard,
strong adhesive holding the bricks together.
Calcium hydroxide is also used extensively as a neutraliz-
ing agent. As a base, it reacts with acids formed in industrial
operations, in the environment, and in other situations. For
example, soil that is too acidic for plants to grow properly can

be treated with calcium hydroxide. The hydroxide ion (OH )in
+
the calcium hydroxide reacts with the hydrogen ion (H )in
the acidic soil to form water, resulting in a more neutral soil.

148 CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS