Skip to main content
Skip to navigation

Joint Earth Science Education Initiative - limestone chemistry

This activity is most appropriate for students aged 14-16 to illustrate chemical reactions and useful materials made from rocks.

Some of the simple chemical reactions of limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO₃) and lime (calcium oxide, CaO).

Websites

Limestone chemistry

Level

14-16 years

Use

Category

Specification

Wales
- GCSE
  - WJEC Chemistry
    - Unit 1: CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES, REACTIONS and ESSENTIAL RESOURCES
      - 1.6 LIMESTONE
        [b] calcium carbonate, calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide as the chemical names for limestone quicklime and slaked lime respectively
        [c] the cycle of reactions involving limestone and products made from it, including the exothermic reaction of quicklime with water and the reaction oflimewater with carbon dioxide
        (d) the uses of limestone in the production of iron and steel, in road-building, to neutralise soil acidity and to make cement
Northern Ireland
- A/AS level
  - CCEA Chemistry
    - Unit AS 2: Further Physical and inorganic Chemistry and an Introdution to Organic Chemistry
      - 2.11 Group II elements and their compounds
        2.11.7 recall the use of calcium carbonate to make calcium oxide [quick lime] and calcium hydroxide [slaked lime] and their use in producing cement and concrete;

Related articles

News
Seawater system slashes methane emissions

2025-03-21T06:09:00Z By Nina Notman

Breakthrough reactor system aims to reduce methane emissions from waste
Job profile
Peptide chemistry apprentice

Christina uses chemistry to make medicines work better and help more people.
CPD
Teaching conservation of mass at 14–16

2024-12-05T07:33:00Z By Matthew Parks

Help learners master the concept of conservation of mass with these hands-on teaching ideas

More Resources

Resource
Structure and bonding of carbon | Knowledge check | 14–16

Assess learning on atomic structure with a higher and foundation worksheet
Resource
Structure and bonding of carbon | In context | 14–16

Put carbon structure and bonding into context and practise maths in science with questions about graphene, Buckminsterfullerene, diamond
Resource
Atomic structure and the Sun | Stretch and challenge | 14–16

By Lyn Nicholls

Stretch learners’ understanding of atomic structure using the context of the Sun