Carbonate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Carbonate (disambiguation).
Carbonate Ball-and-stick model of the carbonate anion
Names
Systematic IUPAC name
Carbonate
Identifiers
CAS Number
3812-32-6
3D model (Jmol)

Interactive image

ChemSpider 18519
PubChem
UNII

19660

7UJQ5OPE7D Yes

InChI
[show]
SMILES
[show]
Properties
Chemical formula
CO2
3
Molar mass 60.01 gmol1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard
state (at 25 C [77 F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

In chemistry, a carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3),[1] characterized

by the presence of the carbonate ion, CO2
3. The name may also mean an ester of carbonic acid,[1] an organic
compound containing the carbonate group C(=O)(O)2.

The term is also used as a verb, to describe carbonation: the process of

raising the concentrations of carbonate and bicarbonate ions in water to
produce carbonated water and other carbonated beverages either by the
addition of carbon dioxide gas under pressure, or by dissolving carbonate or
bicarbonate salts into the water.

In geology and mineralogy, the term "carbonate" can refer both to carbonate
minerals and carbonate rock (which is made of chiefly carbonate minerals),
and both are dominated by the carbonate ion, CO2
3. Carbonate minerals are extremely varied and ubiquitous in chemically
precipitated sedimentary rock. The most common are calcite or calcium
carbonate, CaCO3, the chief constituent of limestone (as well as the main
component of mollusc shells and coral skeletons); dolomite, a calciummagnesium carbonate CaMg(CO3)2; and siderite, or iron(II) carbonate,
FeCO3, an important iron ore. Sodium carbonate ("soda" or "natron") and
potassium carbonate ("potash") have been used since antiquity for cleaning
and preservation, as well as for the manufacture of glass. Carbonates are
widely used in industry, e.g. in iron smelting, as a raw material for Portland
cement and lime manufacture, in the composition of ceramic glazes, and
more.

Contents

1 Structure and bonding

2 Chemical properties
3 Organic carbonates
4 Biological significance

5 Carbonate salts
6 Presence outside Earth
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Structure and bonding

The carbonate ion is the simplest oxocarbon anion. It consists of one carbon
atom surrounded by three oxygen atoms, in a trigonal planar arrangement,
with D3h molecular symmetry. It has a molecular mass of 60.01 g/mol and
carries a total formal charge of 2. It is the conjugate base of the hydrogen
carbonate (bicarbonate) ion, HCO
3, which is the conjugate base of H
2CO
3, carbonic acid.

The Lewis structure of the carbonate ion has two (long) single bonds to
negative oxygen atoms, and one short double bond to a neutral oxygen.

Simple, localised Lewis structure of the carbonate ion

This structure is incompatible with the observed symmetry of the ion, which
implies that the three bonds are equally long and that the three oxygen
atoms are equivalent. As in the case of the isoelectronic nitrate ion, the
symmetry can be achieved by a resonance between three structures:

Resonance structures of the carbonate ion

This resonance can be summarized by a model with fractional bonds and

delocalized charges:

Delocalisation and partial charges on the carbonate ion Space-filling model of

the carbonate ion
Chemical properties

Metal carbonates generally decompose on heating, liberating carbon dioxide

from the long term carbon cycle to the short term carbon cycle and leaving
behind an oxide of the metal.[1] This process is called calcination, after calx,
the Latin name of quicklime or calcium oxide, CaO, which is obtained by
roasting limestone in a lime kiln.

A carbonate salt forms when a positively charged ion, M+

, M2+
, or M3+
, attaches to the negatively charged oxygen atoms of the ion, forming an
ionic compound:

2 M+
+ CO2
3M
2CO
3

M2+
+ CO2
3 MCO
3

2 M3+
+ 3 CO2
3M
2(CO
3)
3

Most carbonate salts are insoluble in water at standard temperature and

pressure, with solubility constants of less than 1 108. Exceptions include
lithium, sodium, potassium and ammonium carbonates, as well as many
uranium carbonates.

In aqueous solution, carbonate, bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and carbonic

acid exist together in a dynamic equilibrium. In strongly basic conditions, the
carbonate ion predominates, while in weakly basic conditions, the
bicarbonate ion is prevalent. In more acid conditions, aqueous carbon
dioxide, CO2(aq), is the main form, which, with water, H2O, is in equilibrium
with carbonic acid the equilibrium lies strongly towards carbon dioxide.
Thus sodium carbonate is basic, sodium bicarbonate is weakly basic, while
carbon dioxide itself is a weak acid.

Carbonated water is formed by dissolving CO2 in water under pressure. When

the partial pressure of CO2 is reduced, for example when a can of soda is
opened, the equilibrium for each of the forms of carbonate (carbonate,
bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and carbonic acid) shifts until the concentration
of CO2 in the solution is equal to the solubility of CO2 at that temperature
and pressure. In living systems an enzyme, carbonic anhydrase, speeds the
interconversion of CO2 and carbonic acid.

Although the carbonate salts of most metals are insoluble in water, the same
is not true of the bicarbonate salts. In solution this equilibrium between
carbonate, bicarbonate, carbon dioxide and carbonic acid changes consonant
to changing temperature and pressure conditions. In the case of metal ions

with insoluble carbonates, e.g. CaCO3, formation of insoluble compounds

results. This is an explanation for the buildup of scale inside pipes caused by
hard water.
Organic carbonates
Main article: Carbonate ester

In organic chemistry a carbonate can also refer to a functional group within a

larger molecule that contains a carbon atom bound to three oxygen atoms,
one of which is double bonded. These compounds are also known as
organocarbonates or carbonate esters, and have the general formula
ROCOOR, or RRCO3. Important organocarbonates include dimethyl
carbonate, the cyclic compounds ethylene carbonate and propylene
carbonate, and the phosgene replacement, triphosgene.
Biological significance

It works as a buffer in the blood as follows: when pH is low, the concentration

of hydrogen ions is too high, so one exhales CO2. This will cause the equation
to shift left, essentially decreasing the concentration of H+ ions, causing a
more basic pH.

When pH is too high, the concentration of hydrogen ions in the blood is too
low, so the kidneys excrete bicarbonate (HCO
3). This causes the equation to shift right, essentially increasing the
concentration of hydrogen ions, causing a more acidic pH.

There are 3 important reversible reactions that control the above pH balance.
[2]

1. H2CO3(aq) H3O+(aq) + HCO

3(aq)

2. H2CO3(aq) CO2(aq) + H2O(l)

3. CO2(aq) CO2(g)

Exhaled CO2(g) depletes CO2(aq) which in turn consumes H2CO3 causing the
aforementioned shift left in the first reaction by Le Chtelier's principle. By
the same principle when the pH is too high, the kidneys excrete bicarbonate
(HCO
3) into urine as urea via the urea cycle (a.k.a. the KrebsHenseleit ornithine
cycle). By removing the bicarbonate more H+ is generated from carbonic acid
(H2CO3) which come from CO2(g) produced by cellular respiration.

Crucially this same buffer operates in the oceans. It is a major factor in

climate change and the long term carbon cycle. This is due to the large
number of marine organisms (especially coral) which are formed of calcium
carbonate. Increased solubility of carbonate through increased temperatures
results in lower production of marine calcite and increased concentration of
atmospheric carbon dioxide. This in turn increases Earth temperature and is a
part of the carbon cycle largely ignored by the global news media. The
tonnage of CO2
3 is on a geological scale and may all be redissolved into the sea and
released to the atmosphere, increasing CO2 levels even more.
Carbonate salts
See also: Category:Carbonates

Carbonate overview:

Carbonates H2CO3

He

Li2CO3,
LiHCO3

BeCO3

NH4HCO3

Ne

Na2CO3,

(NH4)2CO3,

NaHCO3,
Na3H(CO3)2

MgCO3,

Mg(HCO3)2 Al2(CO3)3

Si

Cl

Ar

K2CO3,
KHCO3

CaCO3,

Ca(HCO3)2 Sc
NiCO3
Kr

Ti
V
CuCO3

Rb2CO3
SrCO3
Y
Ag2CO3
CdCO3

Cr
MnCO3
ZnCO3
Ga

FeCO3
Ge
As

CoCO3
Se
Br

Zr
In

Tc
Te

Ru
I

Rh
Xe

Pd

Nb
Sn

Mo
Sb

Cs2CO3,
CsHCO3
Au
Fr

Ra
Nh

BaCO3
Hg
Tl2CO3

Hf
Ta
PbCO3

W
Re
(BiO)2CO3

Os
Po

Ir
At

Pt
Rn

Db
Lv

Sg
Ts

Bh
Og

Hs

Mt

Ds

Rg

Cn

Fl

Rf
Mc

La2(CO3)3
Er

Ce
Tm

Pr
Yb

Nd
Lu

Pm

Sm

Eu

Gd

Tb

Dy

Ho

Ac

Pa
Md

UO2CO3
No
Lr

Np

Pu

Am

Cm

Bk

Cf

Es

Th
Fm

Presence outside Earth

It is generally thought that the presence of carbonates in rock is strong

evidence for the presence of liquid water. Recent observations of the
planetary nebula NGC 6302 shows evidence for carbonates in space,[3]
where aqueous alteration similar to that on Earth is unlikely. Other minerals
have been proposed which would fit the observations.

Until recently carbonate deposits have not been found on Mars via remote
sensing or in situ missions, even though Martian meteorites contain small
amounts. Groundwater may have existed at both Gusev[4] and Meridiani
Planum.[5]

See also

Oxalate
Sodium percarbonate
Peroxocarbonate

References
Wikisource-logo.svg Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Carbonates". Encyclopdia
Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
http://www.scifun.org/chemweek/BioBuff/BioBuffers.html
Kemper, F., Molster, F.J., Jager, C. and Waters, L.B.F.M. (2001) The mineral
composition and spatial distribution of the dust ejecta of NGC 6302.
Astronomy & Astrophysics 394, 679-690.
Squyres et al., (2007) doi 10.1126/science.1139045

Squyres et al., (2006) doi 10.1029/2006JE002771

External links

Carbonate/bicarbonate/carbonic acid equilibrium in water: pH of solutions,

buffer capacity, titration and species distribution vs. pH computed with a free
spreadsheet
"Carbonate". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 5 April 2014.

[show]

vte

Oxocarbons
[show]

vte

Inorganic compounds of carbon and related ions

Authority control

LCCN: sh85020136 GND: 4147300-0 NDL: 00572680

Categories:

CarbonatesOxoanions

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