1. CaCO3 is insoluble in water... that is scale. The only reasonable soluble Ca (II) salt you can buy is CaCl2.

2. We know the difference Ca(II) vs Mg(II) plays on coffee compounds: I quantified it quantum mechanically. I don't need to compute it for Na(I) as it is an electrostatic problem, nothing more. These ions are point charges. This difference and many more exciting revelations will be outlined in the book I am writing with Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, from Colonna and Small's.


Finally, I just want to express my happiness that people are interested in chemistry with coffee. I am a PhD chemist and its always nice to see people questioning things. The way I am writing the chemistry side of this book is a fundamental introduction to chemistry, from ground up. Then it gets complex, but everyone will be able to understand it. As a scientist, there is no use in knowledge without communication. It appears in coffee there is a lot of science occuring, but too many variables to rationalise any single part of the process. We have done this and we are very excited to share this with you soon! A couple months to go yet, so sit tight!

Hi! The original reason I mentioned calcium carbonate was due to this article from 2009/2010:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 4609004725

CHHendon wrote:This difference and many more exciting revelations will be outlined in the book I am writing with Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood, from Colonna and Small's.

Finally, I just want to express my happiness that people are interested in chemistry with coffee. I am a PhD chemist and its always nice to see people questioning things. The way I am writing the chemistry side of this book is a fundamental introduction to chemistry, from ground up. Then it gets complex, but everyone will be able to understand it. As a scientist, there is no use in knowledge without communication. It appears in coffee there is a lot of science occuring, but too many variables to rationalise any single part of the process. We have done this and we are very excited to share this with you soon! A couple months to go yet, so sit tight!

Cool to have you join. I have an idea for your next book! Chemistry and coffee roasting. Identifying major elements relating to aroma, flavour and body, and identifying their temperature range and how each can be enhanced or muted with the roasting temperature profile.

chang00 wrote:Hi! The original reason I mentioned calcium carbonate was due to this article from 2009/2010:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 4609004725

For those that cannot see this paper, or just want a short summary:

Those guys are from the Illy research labs. They are discussing the contributions to brewing times. It would appear that they are only speculating in this publication, as they do not measure extraction by any method which is definitively targeting the brew itself. The most interesting part of this paper is actually referenced:

Sivetz, M. (1972). How acidity affects coffee flavour. Food Technology, 26, 70-77.

Which you can no longer access...