UNIT 1, 2.1-2.5 Rocks and Building materials

—Limestone as it is can be used for making buildings

—Slaked lime can be mixed with water and sand to make mortar

—Powdered limestone can be mixed with powdered clay and heated to make cement

—Cement can be mixed with water, sand and crushed rock (gravel) to make concrete (as a slow chemical reaction takes place)

—Powdered limestone can be mixed with sand and sodium carbonate  and heated (a lot!) to make glass

—Mixing slaked lime with sand and water produces mortar

—Mortar can be used for holding building materials together, e.g. bricks

—This happens because the lime in mortar reacts with carbon dioxide in the air

—This produces calcium carbonate again (limestone) so the bricks are effectively held together by stone

—This means that the construction is very strong

—Slaked Lime + Carbon Dioxide → Calcium Carbonate + Water

—Ca(OH) 2…