Inverse Solubility
Definition
The property of certain salts, notably calcium carbonate, whose tendency to precipitate increases as temperature rises. It makes hot surfaces the most vulnerable to scale.
For most salts added thermal energy offsets the cost of separating ions so solubility rises, but for calcium carbonate the hydrated dispersed state becomes less competitive as temperature climbs. Rising temperature also lowers carbon dioxide solubility, shifting carbonate chemistry toward calcium carbonate formation. Inverse solubility explains why calcium carbonate scale forms most aggressively at the hottest heat exchange surfaces.
Related concepts
Precipitation · Boiler Tubes · Carbonate Chemistry
How it connects
- this accelerates Calcium Carbonate Scaling
- Boiler accelerates this
Part of The Blueprint of Water · 🔥 thermodynamics