Agricultural lime is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate. Additional chemicals vary depending on the mineral source and may include calcium oxide, magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate. Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation. ... Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound, with chemical formula CaCO3. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as lime, quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. ... Magnesium oxide is a white solid mineral that occurs naturally as periclase and is a source of magnesium. ... Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3, is a white solid that occurs in nature as a mineral. ...

Effects on soil:

• it decreases the pH of acidic soils
• it provides a source of Calcium for plants
• it permits improved water penetration for acidic soils

Agricultural lime may occur naturally in some soils but may require addition of sulfuric acid for its agriculturial benefits to be realized. pH is a measure of the acidity of a solution, in terms of activity of hydrogen ions (H+). For dilute solutions, however, it is convenient to substitute the activity of the hydrogen ions with the molarity (mol/L) of the hydrogen ions (however, this is not necessarily accurate at higher... -) :-( :-P :-*An acid (often represented by the generic formula HA) is traditionally considered any chemical compound that when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a pH of less than 7. ... Loess field in Germany Soil horizons are formed by combined biological, chemical and physical alterations. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 40. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ...

Gypsum is also used to supply calcium for plant nutrition but will not raise the soil's pH. Gypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. // [edit] Chemical structure Heating gypsum to between 100°C and 150°C (302°F) partially dehydrates the mineral by driving off exactly 75% of the water contained in its chemical structure. ...

In livestock farming, hydrated lime can be used, as a 'disinfectant' measure, producing a dry and alkaline environment, in which bacteria do not readily multiply. Lime is a general term for various naturally occurring minerals and materials derived from them in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides of calcium predominate. ... The common (Arrhenius) definition of a base is a chemical compound that either donates hydroxide ions or absorbs hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. ... Subgroups Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are microscopic, unicellular organisms. ...

See also

• Lime (mineral)
• Marl