Question

I have a body made of steel which needs to be cooled, and it is used tap water to do it and over the time that water has deposited some kind of calcium compound inside the cavity where it's running through and is damaging the cooling process. So I need some compound which could react to the calcium which has been deposited but not with the steel.

Answer 1

To remove the calcium compound deposits from the steel body without reacting with the steel, you can use a compound such as EDTA, which forms stable complex ions with calcium, preventing them from interfering with the cooling process or damaging the steel.

Step-by-step explanation:

To remove the calcium compound deposits from the steel body without reacting with the steel, you can use a compound that specifically reacts with calcium but not with steel. One compound that can achieve this is chelating agents, such as EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid).

Chelating agents form stable complex ions with metal cations like calcium, preventing them from interfering with the cooling process or damaging the steel.

For example, when EDTA reacts with calcium ions, it forms a stable complex called [Ca(EDTA)]²—, which does not interact with the steel. This effectively removes the calcium compound without causing any harm to the steel body.

By using a chelating agent like EDTA, you can effectively remove the calcium compounds deposited in the cavity without damaging the steel and restore the cooling process.