Calcium formate - Wikipedia

Calcium formate Names Preferred IUPAC name Calcium diformate Other names

• Formic acid calcium salt
• calcoform

Identifiers

• 544-17-2 Y[PubChem]

3D model (JSmol) ChEBI ChemSpider

•  Y

ECHA InfoCard 100.008.058 EC Number

• 208-863-7

E number E238 (preservatives) KEGG

• C Y

PubChem CID RTECS number

• LQ

UNII CompTox Dashboard (EPA)

• InChI=1S/2CH2O2.Ca/c2*2-1-3;/h2*1H,(H,2,3);/q;;+2/p-2 YKey: CBOCVOKPQGJKKJ-UHFFFAOYSA-L Y
• InChI=1/2CH2O2.Ca/c2*2-1-3;/h2*1H,(H,2,3);/q;;+2/p-2Key: CBOCVOKPQGJKKJ-NUQVWONBAS

• [Ca+2].[O-]C=O.[O-]C=O

Properties Ca(HCO2)2 Molar mass 130.113 g/mol Appearance white-to-yellow crystals or crystalline powder[1] Odor smells slightly like acetic acid[2] Density 2.02 g/cm3[3] Melting point decomposes at 300 °C[3] 16.1 g/100 g (0 °C)
18.4 g/100 g (100 °C) Solubility insoluble in ethanol[3]
methanol:
0.27 g/100 g (15 °C)
0.23 g/100 g (66 °C)[4] Hazards GHS labelling: Danger H318 P264, P280, P305+P351+P338, P310, P337+P313 NFPA 704 (fire diamond) Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): LD50 (median dose) rats: mg/kg (oral), 154 mg/kg (IV)[4] Related compounds Other anions Calcium acetate Other cations Sodium formate Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N   (what is YN ?) Chemical compound

Calcium formate is the calcium salt of formic acid. It is also known as E238. Under this E number it is used as an animal feed preservative within EU, but not in foods intended for people.[5]

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Calcium formate is stable at room temperature,[5] is flammable and forms orthorhombic crystals.[2] The mineral form is very rare and called formicaite, and is known from a few boron deposits.

Uses

[edit]

Calcium formate is used within EU as an animal feed preservative. It acidifies the feed thus preventing microbe growth and increasing shelf life. About 15 g of calcium formate addition per kg of feed lowers its pH by one. 15 g/kg is the maximum recommended feed concentration within EU – this level is thought to be safe for pigs, chickens, fish and ruminants. The compound is not environmentally harmful in feed use at these levels. Calcium formate prevents the growth of bacteria such as E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus hirae in growth mediums. It also prevents the growth of fungi like Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. However, the relevance of these experimental observations to feed preservation is not known.[5]

Calcium formate is used as a masking agent in the chrome tanning of leather. Calcium formate in tannage formulation promotes faster, more efficient leather penetration of the chrome. Calcium formate can also be used as a replacement for formic acid in the pickling operation.[4]

As a grout and cement additive, calcium formate imparts a number of desirable properties in the final product, e.g. increased hardness and decreased setting time. Its addition is desirable for work at low temperature and for inhibition of corrosion of metal substrates within cement/grout. It is also effective in the prevention of efflorescence. In drywall (gypsum board), calcium formate can function as a fire retardant.[4]

Calcium formate and urea mixtures are effective deicers, and tend to cause less corrosion of steel and cement surfaces relative to some other deicers.[4]

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Research

[edit]

Calcium formate seems to be safe as a calcium supplement for people with one time doses of 3.9 g ( of calcium) per day.[6] Increases in blood formate concentration have been observed with such doses, but in healthy subjects the formate does not accumulate, and is quickly metabolized. Calcium formate is shown to be more readily absorbed form of calcium than calcium carbonate and calcium citrate.[7] No optic nerve damage has been observed with calcium formate supplementation – along with formaldehyde, formate is a major metabolic product of methanol, which can cause blindness upon ingestion.[8]

Calcium formate could be used to remove environmentally harmful (see acid rain) sulfur oxides (SOX) from fossil fuel exhausts of e.g. power plants. Calcium formate is added to wet calcium carbonate to promote the formation of gypsum when exhaust is run through it. This process is called wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGS). Gypsum binds sulfur oxides thus reducing their release to the environment via exhaust. Calcium formate seems to be more effective than or almost equally as effective as some other industrially used WFGS agents.[9]

Production

[edit]

Calcium formate is formed as a co-product during trimethylolpropane production. Hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide) is used as the source of calcium. Butyraldehyde and formaldehyde react in a water solution in the presence of a basic catalyst, forming an unstable intermediate product, dimethylol butyraldehyde (DIMBA). DIMBA reacts further with formaldehyde to give trimethylolpropane and calcium formate. Calcium formate is separated from the solution, heat treated to remove formaldehyde and then dried.[5]

Calcium formate can also be made from calcium hydroxide and carbon monoxide at high pressure and temperature[2] – e.g., at 180 °C and 35 atm.[10] It may also be made from calcium chloride and formic acid.[2]

Safety

[edit]

Pure calcium formate powder irritates eyes severely, but causes no skin irritation. Powder inhalation can be dangerous.[5] The compound has a stinging taste. Ingesting liquids with high calcium formate concentrations cause severe gastrointestinal lesions.[11]

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Until recently, I was using CaOH (Kalk), and some two part to maintain Ca and Alk in my mixed reef. I was up to about 750 ml Kalk per day in a 70 gallon system. I also was seeing how this was affecting the equipment in my sump, i.e. lots of precipitate, and wanted to find a more natural way to maintain optimal conditions. After some research I fell into the literature on calcium salts of organic acids, acetic and formic acids. I eventually settled on using calcium formate as it is available from Tropic Marin, in Carbocalcium.

I have been using this for about a month now and have to say that I really like the product. Once I dialed in my dose, I have been able to maintain my Alk at 8.3 to 8.5 dKH and calcium at 410 to 420 ppm. I also like the fact that I am not needing to dose very much, about 12 to 15 ml per day in my system of 70 gallons. That means I can make a liter for dosing and it will be good for more than two months. While this is not as cheap as Kalk it is equally effective at maintaining calcium and alkalinity and requires less effort in my system.

I should note that the product say organic calcium salts, but I suspect it is mostly calcium formate. I would like to know if other are using this or a similar product and what their results have been.

I will post a followup after a couple of months as this will be a better test of the product and my success, or failure, using it.

Happy reefing!

I have to say this confused me as well. I see and measure what happens in my system. This product mixes at 8,600 mg Ca/Liter and 1,200 °dH/L and I am adding about 129 Ca and 18 °dH per day at 15 ml per day. These are the numbers based on the container.

Thanks for the discusion. This is why I started the thread.

Yes, happy reefing!

Thanks for posting those numbers, helpful for those parsing these things out.

Based on what you said earlier, it seems possible that you had a bit of CaCO3 precipitation in the sump where you were dosing the limewater, and that was chewing up some Ca and CO3.

Yes there was precipitate and that was part of the reason I searched for an alternative. Ialso wanted to find some thing that was easier, required lesstime and was cleaner and chemically more friendly. This aslo doesn't increase NaCl like 2-part and thus is more like Kalk alone.

I was a longtime user of Kalk but never liked the mess.

Thanks for the discussion. Hopefully others can learn from it.

I was drawn to calcium formate for the same reasons. I’m looking for a less expensive option, I’ll try to remember to update this thread if I find anything.

Until recently, I was using CaOH (Kalk), and some two part to maintain Ca and Alk in my mixed reef. I was up to about 750 ml Kalk per day in a 70 gallon system. I also was seeing how this was affecting the equipment in my sump, i.e. lots of precipitate, and wanted to find a more natural way to maintain optimal conditions. After some research I fell into the literature on calcium salts of organic acids, acetic and formic acids. I eventually settled on using calcium formate as it is available from Tropic Marin, in Carbocalcium.

I have been using this for about a month now and have to say that I really like the product. Once I dialed in my dose, I have been able to maintain my Alk at 8.3 to 8.5 dKH and calcium at 410 to 420 ppm. I also like the fact that I am not needing to dose very much, about 12 to 15 ml per day in my system of 70 gallons. That means I can make a liter for dosing and it will be good for more than two months. While this is not as cheap as Kalk it is equally effective at maintaining calcium and alkalinity and requires less effort in my system.

I should note that the product say organic calcium salts, but I suspect it is mostly calcium formate. I would like to know if other are using this or a similar product and what their results have been.

I will post a followup after a couple of months as this will be a better test of the product and my success, or failure, using it.

Happy reefing!

How is the Carbocalcium working out? I'm leaning towards it because dosing regular 2-part raises salinity over time. There aren't many reviews on this product for some reason.