Making calcium acetate from Tums

TL;DR

This video demonstrates how to extract calcium carbonate from Tums tablets and use it to make calcium acetate.

Transcript

So in my last video about calcium acetate, I mentioned I would eventually get around to making it from Tums, but I wouldn't be really sure when that would be. Well, it turns out that I did it right away. To make calcium acetate, we're effectively just reacting calcium carbonate with acetic acid, which is basically just vinegar, but to do this, we ... Read More

Key Insights

• 👋 Tums tablets are a good source of calcium carbonate for making calcium acetate.
• 😒 Organic material needs to be burned away from the tablets before use.
• 💦 The resulting calcium acetate solution needs to be filtered and boiled down to remove water.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is it necessary to burn away the organic material from Tums tablets before using them to make calcium acetate?

Burning the tablets removes the sugar content, which would cause the mixture to become a mess when boiled down.

Q: What is the purpose of making calcium acetate?

Calcium acetate can be used to make flammable jelly and can also be dry distilled to produce acetone.

Q: Can regular vinegar be used instead of cleaning vinegar?

Yes, regular vinegar can be used, but more water will need to be boiled off during the process.

Q: Why does the solution become cloudier as it is heated?

The solubility of calcium acetate decreases with temperature, causing some of it to fall out of solution.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tums tablets can be used as a source of calcium carbonate to make calcium acetate.

• The tablets need to be crushed and burned to remove organic material before heating and reacting with vinegar.

• The resulting solution is filtered and then boiled down to produce calcium acetate.