Calcium carbonate, pharmaceutical

Calcium carbonate is one of the most versatile mineral fillers (qv) and is consumed in a wide range of products including paper (qv), paint (qv), plastics, mbber, textiles (qv), caulks, sealants (qv), and printing inks (qv). High purity grades of both natural and precipitated calcium carbonate meet the requirements of the Food Chemicals Codex and the United States Pharmacopeia and are used in dentifrices (qv), cosmetics (qv), foods, and pharmaceuticals (qv). 

Food and pharmaceutical grades of calcium carbonate are covered by the Food Chemicals Codex (7) and the United States Pharmacopeia (8) and subject to U.S. Food and Dmg Administration Good Manufacturing Practices (9). Both purity requirements and test methods are available (7,8). Calcium carbonate is listed in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation as a food additive, and is authorized for use in both paper and plastic food contact appHcations. 

Calcium carbonate is used in food and pharmaceutical appHcations for both its chemical and physical properties. It is used as an antacid, as a calcium supplement in foods, as a mild abrasive in toothpaste, and in chewing gum to name only a few (see EoOD ADDITIVES). 

Mineral fillers are used for light-colored compounds. Talc has a small particle size and is a semireinforcing filler. It reduces air permeabihty and has htde effect on cure systems. Calcined clay is used for halobutyl stoppers in pharmaceutical appHcations. Nonreinforcing fillers, such as calcium carbonate and titanium dioxide, have large particle sizes and are added to reduce cost and viscosity. Hydrated siUcas give dry, stiff compounds, and their acidity reduces cure rate hence, their content should be minimized. 

Calcium carbonate is a common inorganic compound known as limestone. Calcium carbonate has many applications in industries such as medicine, agriculture, paint plastic and surface coatings etc. The vast majority of calcium carbonate used in industry is extracted by mining process. Pure calcium carbonate (e.g. for food or pharmaceutical use), is synthesized by passing carbon dioxide into a solution of calcium hydroxide slurry. In this process calcium carbonate precipitates out, and this grade of product is referred to as precipitate calcium carbonate (abbreviated as PCC). The common reaction is as follows ... 

Schnitzler I, Boland W, Hay ME (1998) Organic sulfur compounds from Dictyopteris spp. deter feeding by an herbivorous amphipod (Ampithoe longimana) but not by a herbivorous sea urchin (Arbaciapimctulata). J Chem Ecol 24 1715-1732 Shen Y, T sai PI, Fenical W, Hay ME (1993) Secondary metabolite chemistry of the Caribbean marine alga Sporochnus bolleanus. a basis for herbivore chemical defense. Phytochemistry 32 71-75 Schupp PJ, Paul VJ (1994) Calcium carbonate and secondary metabolites in tropical seaweeds variable effects on herbivorous fishes. Ecology 75 1172-1185 Smit AJ (2004) Medicinal and pharmaceutical uses of seaweed natural products a review. J Appl Phycol 16 245-262... 

Industrial calcium carbonate (CaCOs) is mainly produced by extraction/milling of natural ore. Suitable ore-bodies include chalk, limestone, marble, and travertine. Sufficiently pure ore-bodies are selected to allow direct exploitation. The main applications include paper, paints, plastics, pharmaceuticals, etc. Luminescence and LIBS (Fig. 8.3) sorting may be used for calcium carbonate ore radiometric sorting. 

Calcium carbide is used to produce acetylene. Some of the other chemicals made with lime include calcium hypochlorite, citric acid, and sodium alkalis. Lime is used to produce precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), which is a fine-grained form of calcium carbonate. To produce PCC, lime is hydrated to produce slaked lime and the slaked lime is combined with water to produce limewater. Carbon dioxide is added to the limewater, causing calcium carbonate to precipitate as PCC. PCC is used widely in plastics production, papermaking, pharmaceuticals, and the petrochemical industry. 

The use of buffering agents in solid dose forms is not as widespread as the use in parenteral products. Nevertheless, the current Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients lists calcium carbonate, monobasic and dibasic sodium phosphate, sodium and potassium citrates, and tribasic calcium phosphate as potential buffering agents. ... 

Calcium carbonate is mainly used in oral pharmaceutical formulations and is generally regarded as a nontoxic material. However, calcium carbonate administered orally may cause constipation and flatulence. Consumption of large quantities (4—60g daily) may also result in hypercalcemia or renal impairment. Therapeutically, oral doses of up to about 1.5 g are employed as an antacid. In the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in patients with chronic renal failure, oral daily doses of 2.5-17 g have been used. Calcium carbonate may interfere with the absorption of other drugs from the gastrointestinal tract if administered concomitantly. 

In certain compounds, especially inorganic salts, solubility may not be affected or may actually decrease at higher temperatures. A good example is calcium carbonate water (hardwater), which has lower solubility at higher temperatures. This reverse solubihty behavior causes troublesome scale deposits issue in hot water boilers because water is maintained at a higher temperature in the water boiler. Therefore, calcium carbonate becomes supersaturated and precipitates in the boiler. In the authors experience, however, reverse solubihty is very rare in fine organics or pharmaceuticals. 

Hiflex - surface treated calcium carbonate for easy compounding in water pipes, cables, etc. Precipitated USP Grade - 3 grades for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries 402 - surface modified calcium carbonate for PVC plastisols and other plastics ECC International, Cornwall, UK... 

MAJOR PRODUCT APPLICATIONS similar to calcium carbonate with exception of food, pharmaceutical and sugar industries... 

Chem. Desetp. Precipitated calcium carbonate CAS 471-34-1 EINECS/ELINCS 207-439-9 Uses Filler in pulp/paper, paints, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, rubber, plastics... 

Phaltan. See N-Trichloromethylthio phthalimide Phantolld. See Acetyl hexamethyl indan Pharma-Carb . See Calcium carbonate Pharmacol 101, Pharmacel 102, Pharmacel 105, Pharmacel 112, Pharmacel 200. See Microcrystalline cellulose Pharmacel XL. See Croscarmellose sodium Pharmaceutical Gelatin. See Gelatin Pharmaceutical Lanolin. See Lanolin Pharma-Gel . See Corn (Zea mays) starch Pharmasolve . See N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone Pharmasorb Colloidal Pharmaceutical Grade. See Attapulgite... 

---