23
Tried to clean a calcite sample with vinegar and it fizzed like crazy
Found a nice piece of calcite near a creek in Austin. Thought a quick soak in white vinegar would clean it up. The thing started bubbling and fizzing like a science fair volcano for a solid minute. Learned the hard way that acid eats calcite. Anyone know a safe way to clean that stuff without dissolving it?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
leob5814d ago
Oh yeah, vinegar is basically a weak acid, so it'll definitely react with calcite (which is calcium carbonate, same as limestone). For cleaning, plain water and a soft brush is your best bet, maybe with a tiny drop of dish soap if it's really grimy. The fizzy reaction is actually pretty cool to see, but not great for preserving the specimen. At least you got a free science demo out of it.
8
the_oliver14d ago
Notice how many household cleaning "hacks" are just basic chemistry experiments. People use vinegar on everything from rocks to coffee makers without realizing they're causing a reaction. It's wild how much damage we do trying to fix things.
3
kai_burns7314d ago
True, but sometimes that reaction is exactly what you want... like cleaning hard water stains off glass.
3