calcium sulfate

noun

: a white salt CaSO4 that occurs especially as anhydrite, gypsum, and plaster of paris and that in hydrated form is used as a building material and in anhydrous form is used as a drying agent

Examples of calcium sulfate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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First, Perseverance discovered long, white veins of calcium sulfate, a mineral likely deposited by flowing water, streaking across the rock’s reddish surface. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 July 2024 Join 32 others in the comments View Comments The team also spotted the potential presence of hematite between the white bands of calcium sulfate in the rock. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 July 2024 Then, water oozed into the cracks of the solid rock, creating the calcium sulfate veins and enabling the chemical reactions that left the leopard spots. Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 July 2024 Later on, water may have penetrated through cracks in the rock, depositing minerals to create the calcium sulfate veins and leopard spots. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 26 July 2024 The team has seen evidence of bright white calcium sulfate, also known as gypsum, within cracks on the Martian surface that are essentially hard-water deposits left behind by ancient groundwater flows. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 July 2024 The top of a growing black smoker consists of calcium sulfate, or anhydrite. Robert Kunzig, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Most industrial companies use calcium sulfate. Janelle Bitker, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 July 2021 Too much sulfur dioxide in damp air will trigger a chemical reaction in limestone, causing white calcium carbonate to convert to black calcium sulfate. Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2011

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of calcium sulfate was in 1868

Dictionary Entries Near calcium sulfate

Cite this Entry

“Calcium sulfate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/calcium%20sulfate. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

calcium sulfate

noun
: a white odorless compound of calcium that is used especially in building materials and to dry other substances

Medical Definition

calcium sulfate

noun
: a white calcium salt CaSO4 used especially as a diluent in tablets and in hydrated form as plaster of paris

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