Soda lime

Description

A mixture of Calcium oxide with either Sodium hydroxide or Potassium hydroxide. Soda lime absorbs Carbon dioxide and moisture from the air. It is used in air refreshing systems in submarines and gas masks. Often a moisture indicator, such as ethyl violet, is added to the commercial product.

Synonyms and Related Terms

soda-lime; sodium calcium hydrate

Risks

• Sensitive to moisture.
• Toxic by ingestion and inhalation.
• Corrosive to skin and eyes.
• Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Resources and Citations

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 454

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998