In 1911 light precipitated calcium carbonate was made for the first time anywhere in the world. Precipitated CaCO3 was reacted from milk of lime with the waste carbon dioxide produced when limestone is calcined. Since then this type of precipitated calcium carbonate has played an important role as a raw material for toothpaste and face powder and as a filler for rubber goods.
In 1927 there was some trouble during the production of precipitated calcium carbonate. The precipitated light calcium carbonate was found to contain hard lumps with a smooth surface. After extensive investigations into the reasons why these lumps were formed and eventually the researches resulted in the production of a very high quality grade of precipiated calcium carbonate.
This grade was found to give a much higher viscosity and much higher sedimentation volume in suspension than light precipitated calcium carbonate. This material was called colloidal precipitated calcium carbonate but when attempts were made to dry it for commercial production, it became too hard for grinding. When eventually a fine powder was produced, the particles still felt too rough to the touch.
The researcher tried many possible ways of preventing the fine particles from aggregating. After many experiments, he eventually succeeded in producing a new commercial grade of precipitated calcium carbonate.
In his experiments he had developed the idea of coating the colloidal particles of precipitated calcium carbonate with a series of fatty acids or resin acids. The hydrophobic powder produced in this way was smooth to the touch. When incorporated in rubber, it gave reinforced rubber products with a smooth and high gloss surface.
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