calcium hydroxide
- noun
- /ˈkæl.si.əm haɪˈdrɒk.saɪd/
- Specialized
:
hidróxido de calcio
- As an antacid, calcium hydroxide helps to neutralize stomach acid effectively.
Examples
-
Calcium hydroxide is commonly used in construction for making calcium hydroxide mortars and plasters.
-
Many gardeners add calcium hydroxide to their soil to improve its alkalinity.
-
The low bound chloride content of the outmost layer is attributed to the synergistic effects of calcium hydroxide leaching out during exposure and carbonation during moist-curing or exposure.
Academic text (2018)
Synonyms
A soft white powder made by adding water to quicklime used to make plaster and to reduce soil acidity
A white powder used in plaster and to make soil less acidic
A white chemical that can burn skin, used in building and farming to make soil less acidic
A white powder used in building, farming, and cleaning water
How Alkaline
- Specialized
1
5.4
- Specialized
- Specialized
3
3.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a transparent chemical compound name formed by combining the element 'calcium' with 'hydroxide', so its basic meaning — the hydroxide of calcium (Ca(OH)₂) — is directly derivable from the constituents. This naming pattern is productive and cross-linguistically common for compounds, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a calcium-containing hydroxide even if they lack specialist chemical details.
Etymology
Calcium hydroxide is made when water is added to heated lime, turning hard lumps into a soft white powder. The name parts calcium and hydroxide point to the lime and the part that 'fights acid', so the powder is used to join bricks and to calm acid in soil or as an 'antacid', which is why we use it today.