A sample of white magnesium carbonate powder is heated strongly in a dry test tube. The gas evolved is directed through a delivery tube into a beaker containing limewater.
The equation for the chemical reaction taking place in the heated test tube is:
MgCO3(s)→MgO(s)+CO2(g) \text{MgCO}_3(\text{s}) \rightarrow \text{MgO}(\text{s}) + \text{CO}_2(\text{g}) MgCO3(s)→MgO(s)+CO2(g)What type of chemical reaction occurs when magnesium carbonate is heated?
State the appearance of the limewater before and after the gas from this reaction is bubbled through it.
The Taj Mahal in India is a world-famous monument constructed primarily from white marble, which consists mainly of calcium carbonate. In recent decades, emissions of sulfur dioxide from nearby industrial complexes have caused progressive damage to the marble surface.
Describe how sulfur dioxide in the air leads to the degradation of this marble monument.
