Evolution Mechanism of Calcium Carbonate in Solution

Abstract

Calcium carbonate was synthesized in a CaCl2/NaCO3 mixed solution by using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an additive. The thermodynamics and kinetics analyses indicate that although the driving force of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) precipitation is always less than that of calcite and vaterite precipitation, the nucleation rate of ACC is greater than that of calcite and vaterite at the initial stage of the precipitation reaction. With the increasing incubation time, vaterite and calcite particles nucleate heterogeneously by using the as-formed particles as active sites. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the transformation mechanism of ACC and vaterite to calcite is the dissolution-recrystallisation reaction. The presence of EDTA not only improves the stabilities of ACC and vaterite, but also leads to forming enlongated, connected rhombohedral calcite crystals after incubation 7 days in solutions. The ACC and vaterite are stabler in air than in solutions at room temperature, although the dissolution-recrystallisation reaction occurs on the surface.