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nuknuk
Jul 8, 2005, 9:55 PM
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I am in charge of a climbing gym at the school I attend, before the school orders more chalk, my boss asked me the difference between Magnesium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate. I was unsure and only have used Magnesium Carbonate to climb with. When I searched on yahoo and various forums on rockclimbing.com I have gotten mixed answers. So if anyone could clear this up on what is the difference between the two and tell me whether or not Calcium Carbonate could be used as climbing chalk?
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sbaclimber
Jul 8, 2005, 10:23 PM
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In reply to: I am in charge of a climbing gym at the school I attend, before the school orders more chalk, my boss asked me the difference between Magnesium Carbonate and Calcium Carbonate. I was unsure and only have used Magnesium Carbonate to climb with. When I searched on yahoo and various forums on rockclimbing.com I have gotten mixed answers. So if anyone could clear this up on what is the difference between the two and tell me whether or not Calcium Carbonate could be used as climbing chalk? As far as I can tell, one starts with 'Mg' and the other with 'Ca': MgCO3 CaCO3 Sorry, someone had to say it..... :P Edit to add some useful information, and be a bit less of a jackass: Check out these 2 Wikipedia entries: http://en.wikipedia.org/.../Magnesium_carbonate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_carbonate
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gunkiemike
Jul 8, 2005, 11:02 PM
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But why??? Magnesium carbonate is so cheap, so commonly available, and works well. Tell him that all calcium compounds dissolve the resin used to make climbing holds - that'll dissuade him. PS - it doesn't dissolve the holds AFAIK. PPS - but why take that chance :P
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davidji
Jul 8, 2005, 11:28 PM
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I think calcium carbonate is more likely to be contaminated with lead. Ca & Pb are often found together in nature, and some chalk contains measureable amounts of lead. I am not aware of such contamination in magnesium carbonate.
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scottd
Jul 11, 2005, 4:12 AM
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limestone=calcium carbonate Use magnesium carbonate for chalk
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kachoong
Jul 11, 2005, 4:41 AM
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In reply to: Magnesium carbonate is so cheap, so commonly available, and works well. Well, calcium carbonate (or calcite) makes up about 4% of the Earth's crust, so it would be considered more abundant.... I'd say one of the reasons why CaCO3 isn't used is it's ability to be dissolved very readily in even the weakest of acids, compared to MgCO3, which is a little more resistant and therefore would be better used as a sweat retardent.... Curiously, Dolomite is similar to magnesium carbonate (Magnesite).... it's formula being magnesium calcium carbonate CaMg(CO3)2
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nuknuk
Jul 12, 2005, 8:14 PM
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Just doing a follow-up. I ended up contacting a chemistry professor at my school and getting a little broader definition. The professor said that calcium carbonate drys out your pores, thus causing your hands to crack and eventually leading to unnecessary bleeding of the hands. I convinced my boss magnesium carbonate is the way to go and it is already on its way. Thanks for the help everyone.
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overlord
Jul 13, 2005, 1:04 PM
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plus i think its kinda slippery and doest absorb moisture as well as magnesium carbonate.
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gunkiemike
Jul 20, 2005, 4:59 PM
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In reply to: Just doing a follow-up. I ended up contacting a chemistry professor at my school and getting a little broader definition. The professor said that calcium carbonate drys out your pores, thus causing your hands to crack and eventually leading to unnecessary bleeding of the hands. I convinced my boss magnesium carbonate is the way to go and it is already on its way. Thanks for the help everyone. Glad to hear that 40+ years of experience by thousands of climbers was not in error. When it's time to decide whether to fuel your car with gasoline or mineral spirits, just let us know. We're here to help.
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gunkiemike
Jul 20, 2005, 5:01 PM
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In reply to: Just doing a follow-up. I ended up contacting a chemistry professor at my school and getting a little broader definition. The professor said that calcium carbonate drys out your pores, thus causing your hands to crack and eventually leading to unnecessary bleeding of the hands. I convinced my boss magnesium carbonate is the way to go and it is already on its way. Thanks for the help everyone. Glad to hear that 40+ years of experience by thousands of climbers was not in error. When it's time to decide whether to fuel your car with gasoline or mineral spirits, just let us know. We're here to help.
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charley
Jul 20, 2005, 8:21 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: Just doing a follow-up. I ended up contacting a chemistry professor at my school and getting a little broader definition. The professor said that calcium carbonate drys out your pores, thus causing your hands to crack and eventually leading to unnecessary bleeding of the hands. I convinced my boss magnesium carbonate is the way to go and it is already on its way. Thanks for the help everyone. Glad to hear that 40+ years of experience by thousands of climbers was not in error. When it's time to decide whether to fuel your car with gasoline or mineral spirits, just let us know. We're here to help. Of course you will get at least several opinions.
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kinosoo
Jul 21, 2005, 1:10 AM
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your school has a climbign GYM...... dude.
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