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U.S. Production of lime was 15 billion kg in 1989 making it the 6th most-produced
chemical in the U.S.
One problem with lime, however, is that it is not very soluble in water. When lime
and soda ash combine in a classic metathesis reaction, they produce lye, or sodium
hydroxide. Lye combines the solubility of soda ash with the strong alkalinity of lime.
We will need this combination of strength and solubility when we make soap.
U.S. Production of lye was 10 billion kg in 1989 making it the 9th most-produced
chemical in the U.S.
When lime is added to water in a process called "slaking," calcium oxide is converted
to calcium hydroxide, or "slaked lime."
Such a solution is more alkaline than an equivalent solution of potash or soda ash.
Thus lime is often used when large quantities of a strong but inexpensive base are
required. Agriculture, water treatment, and paper manufacture are industries which
use lime for this reason.
Lime has two advantages over potash. First, it is a stronger base than either sodium or
potassium carbonate. Second, unlike potash, it can be produced in large quantities.
Remember: a lot of wood produces a little ash and a lot of ash produces a little potash.
But limestone is a very common stone. We can quarry it and produce lime on a grand
scale.
The main disadvantage of lime is its limited solubility. Whereas sodium carbonate has
a solubility of 22 g/100 mL and potassium carbonate has a solubility of 147 g/100 mL
(!), the solubility of calcium hydroxide is only 0.19 g/100 mL. Even worse, most
calcium compounds are even less soluble, e.g. calcium carbonate has a solubility of
only 0.001 g/100 mL. So many anions present in the solution may form insoluble
precipitates in limewater. In particular, soap contains anions which, in the presence of
calcium, form the insoluble precipitate commonly known as "soap scum."
If lime is left exposed to the atmosphere, it will, over time revert back to calcium
carbonate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air:
In other words, the soluble material, slaked lime, if left exposed to the air converts to
the insoluble material, limestone. What we have here is the first cement! Modern
cements are more sophisticated and "cure" more quickly than slaked lime, but lime
continues to be a major compenent of modern cements. When quicklime is painted on
wood, it forms a rock-hard white coating called whitewash.
Two solutions are mixed together and a solid precipitate forms. The "good stuff," lye,
remains in solution. If potash replaces soda ash, the result is potassium hydroxide.
While lime is more alkaline than soda ash, when reacted together they produce a
stronger alkali than either of the two separately. Synonyms for lye are caustic soda,
and sodium hydroxide. It remains one of the most important alkalis in modern
chemical industry though it is no longer manufactured from lime and soda ash. In
addition to its many uses in chemical manufacture, it is the most common ingredient
in drain openers and can be bought in the grocery store in the drain opener section. It
combines the strength of lime with the solubility of potash. Because of this
combination, it is ideal for making soap. However, because it requires both lime and
potash for its manufacture, it remained a rather expensive alkali well into this century.
pH
The pH scale is discussed under potash . We have seen the pH and pOH values for
several solutions with a concentration of 1% (i.e. 1 gram of compound in 100 grams
of solution). But the solubility of calcium hydroxide is only 0.19 g/100 mL. That is,
no matter how much calcium hydroxide we add to 100 mL of water, only 0.19 g will
actually dissolve. Even so, a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide has a pH of 12.
Lime is another matter. More caustic than potash or soda, quicklime (calcium oxide)
gets hot when water is added, and even slaked lime (calcium hydroxide) is caustic
enough to warrant respect. You shouldn't eat it or get it in your eyes. First aid for eyes
is to wash with cold water. If you eat a lot you can call a poison control center(VA 1-
800-451-1428). But don't go overboard. Slaked lime is added to many foods to
counteract excess acidity. It is used in pickling, for example.
Lye is the most caustic of the alkalis we will use. You should definitely keep it off
skin, out of eyes, and out of mouth. Skin should be washed if you get a little careless.
If you get it in your eyes, you should wash them immediately with cold water and call
a hospital. A taste will leave a very unpleasant taste in your mouth. If you are
foolhardy enough to eat it by the spoonful, you should call a poison control center and
head immediately for the emergency room. I hope you make it.
Instructions
Our goal is the conversion of insoluble limestone to soluble lime. To accomplish this,
we need to heat the bejeesus out of crushed limestone. It might be possible to get a
campfire hot enough to accomplish the conversion. But to secure the efficient
conversion to lime, it is better to use a kiln. This can be as simple as a chimney loaded
with wood and limestone. We will use our pottery kiln (either woodfired or electric)
to reach these high temperatures.
Limestone continues to be quarried to this day and can be bought in 50 pound sacks at
any agricultural or gardening supply. You will need a handfull of limestone and a pot
to put it in. You can use the pot you made in the pottery project or you can build a
new pot just for this purpose. Place your pot of limestone in the kiln and fire it as you
would any other pot. The kiln should be set to cone 06 (980°C, 1800°F). Higher
temperatures would accomplish the conversion more quickly and completely, but
would require a higher temperature clay than the one we are using.
If you are firing with wood, it is essential that you do not put the fire out with water.
Water would wash away your lime (which is soluble in water) and ruin all your hard
work.
When the kiln is cool, take your calcined limestone, which may contain a mixture of
lime and limestone, and place it in a 2 L soda bottle. Fill the bottle with water. If the
solution gets hot, you know you are on the right track, since lime heats up as it slakes.
Let the unreacted limestone settle to the bottom. The "good stuff," the lime, should be
in solution. Let it settle and clear and then pour it into a second bottle, leaving the
sediment behind.
If you wanted dry lime, you could boil the water away, as you did when you made
potash. But for this project, slaked lime solution is good enough. You will know your
solution is good if it tastes bitter.
Sodium hydroxide is sold as lye in the drain opener department of many gorcery and
hardware stores. Most solid drain openers contain lye plus other ingredients. Red
Devil lye claims to be 100% lye (but of course, we know that nothing is 100% pure).
Still, it doesn't intentionally contain anything but sodium hydroxide. Another
synonyms for lye is caustic soda.
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