ADDITIONAL INFO:

Calcium chloride is a type of salt derived from limestone. It is also produced as a byproduct of
the ammonia-soda process of making soda ash. This type of salt has several properties that
make it useful in commercial, industrial, and medical applications. The compound prevents
water from freezing, absorbs moisture from the air, and generates heat when wet. Its medical
uses include treatment for calcium disorders, certain heart conditions, and toxicity issues.
Patients with magnesium intoxication or calcium channel blocker toxicity are treated with
intravenous injections of calcium chloride. In some cases, the compound is used for emergency
cardiac resuscitation. It is also used to treat hypocalcaemia, a medical condition that sometimes
requires an emergency infusion of the compound.
Other commercial applications include adding it to concrete to speed up curing time and using it
as a packaging desiccant to prevent moisture from harming delicate electronics.
Many products that control moisture in closets and basements use calcium chloride as the main
desiccant. Portable hand warmer packs and heating pads utilize the compounds ability to
generate heat when moistened. Fabric softeners often contain calcium chloride to improve the
liquids viscosity because the compound absorbs water and holds it in suspension. It is a salt
mineral and is used in swimming pool maintenance to increase the hardness of the water.
Calcium chloride is found in numerous products in the form of pellets, flakes, solutions and
powders. It is used by consumers as well as in manufacturing, industry and medicine. Calcium
chloride is found in many products that you may use every day.
> Melting Ice
Calcium chloride is used in the manufacturing of plastics and the production of calcium salt. It is
used in the production of concrete. Calcium chloride accelerates the curing (drying) speed of
poured concrete.
Calcium chloride injections are used as a medical treatment for a number of conditions.
Examples include treating depression caused by a magnesium sulfate overdose, critical
symptoms of lead colic (chronic lead poisoning) and for insect stings and bites (i.e., Black
Widow spider). Calcium chloride may be used in cardiac resuscitation if epinephrine does not
work to correct myocardial contractions. This may happen following open heart surgery.
Calcium chloride may also be used as a hydrocarbon desiccant (a drying agent), and may be
found in products such as DampRid, which absorbs moisture from the air, effectively lowering
the humidity. This type of product is commonly used in places like damp basements. Calcium
chloride is also used as a food-processing agent (as a preservative, flavor enhancer, freezing
ice cream), an additive in sports drinks, cheese and beer (as a source of calcium), and as a tire
ballast (to add weight to the tires of farming equipment for stability).
Calcium chloride's toxicity is very low as an additive to foods and other items. However,
concentrated calcium chloride may result in ulcers or gastrointestinal upset. Exposure to eyes or
skin can irritate or possibly burn. The inhaled dust of calcium chloride may aggravate the upper
respiratory tract. Use safety eyewear, gloves and protective clothing when using calcium
chloride in industrial applications. In some cases, a particulate respirator may be recommended.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

POTASSIUM CHLORIDE ORAL USES

This medication is a mineral supplement used to treat or prevent low amounts ofpotassium in
the blood. A normal level of potassium in the blood is important. Potassium helps your
cells, kidneys, heart, muscles, and nerves work properly. Most people get enough potassium by
eating a well-balanced diet. Some conditions that can lower your body's potassium level include
severe prolonged diarrhea andvomiting, hormone problems such as hyperaldosteronism, or
treatment with "water pills"/diuretics.

Potassium chloride is used to prevent or to treat low blood levels of potassium (hypokalemia).
Potassium levels can be low as a result of a disease or from taking certain medicines, or after a
prolonged illness with diarrhea or vomiting.
You should not use potassium chloride if you have kidney failure, Addison's disease, severe
burns or other tissue injury, if you are dehydrated, if you take certain diuretics (water pills), or if
you have high levels of potassium in your blood (hyperkalemia). Do not crush, chew, break, or
suck on an extended-release tablet or capsule. Swallow the pill whole. Breaking or crushing the
pill may cause too much of the drug to be released at one time. Sucking on a potassium tablet
can irritate your mouth or throat. Take potassium chloride with food or just after a meal.
Serious side effects of potassium include uneven heartbeat, muscle weakness or limp feeling,
severe stomach pain, and numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, or mouth.

Do not stop taking this medicine without first talking to your doctor. If you stop taking potassium
suddenly, your condition may become worse.
Potassium chloride should be used with caution in: the elderly, those withkidney problems, heart
problems, conditions causing a narrowing or blockage of the gut (intestine), stomach
ulcer, hiatus hernia (stomach tissue bulging into the lower gullet; for modified-release
preparations only), metabolicacidosis (a condition caused by increased acid levels in the blood),
and those with Addisons disease (a rare condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce
enough steroid hormones).
It should not be used in: patients with severe kidney disease with reduced production of urine,
severe dehydration, inadequately treated Addison's disease, or those with high potassium levels
(hyperkalaemia).

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Excessive sodium chloride intake has been linked to:

heart disease
diabetes
gastric cancer

Questions For Review:

What are the two compounds that have properties of being the cause of irritation with the body?
Ans: KCl and CaCl2

Arrange the following according to its category between Intracellular and Extracellular electrolytes: Sodium,
Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphate, Chloride.
Ans: Intracellular: Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus
Extracellular: Calcium, Chloride, Sodium

What are the two major electrolytes of Intracellular Fluids and Extracellular Fluids? Differentiate which is the
cation and anion.
Ans: Extracellular: Sodium and Chloride
Intracellular: Potassium and Phosphate

Exercises from Chapter 3:

1. What are the principal metabolic functions of Cl-, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, HPO42-?

Ans: For Chloride: Maintains normal hydration and osmotic pressure, Gastric HCl, Acid and base
balance, Electrolyte balance; For Sodium: Buffer constituent acid-base balance, Water balance,
CO2 transport, Osmotic pressure, Cell membrane permeability, Muscle irritability; For Potassium:
Buffer constituent acid-base balance, Water Balance, CO2 transport, Neuromuscular irritability; For
Calcium: Formation of apatite in bones and teeth, Blood clotting; For Magnesium: Co-factor for
PO4 transferring enzymes, Constituent of bones and teeth; For Phosphate: Constituent of bones
and teeth, Constituent of buffers ATP, NAD, and FAD.
2. Give examples of intracellular and extracellular electrolytes.

Ans: Intracellular electrolytes = Potassium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus; Extracellular electrolytes

= Sodium, Chloride, Calcium.
3. What compounds are classified as fluid and electrolytes replenishers in the official compedia?

Ans: Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, and Calcium Chloride are compounds that are
classified as fluid and electrolytes replenishers in the official compedia.
4. Conditions where metabolic acidosis occurs:
Failure to excrete metabolic acids
Formation of excessive quantities of metabolic acids like carbonic acids
Loss of base from body fluids
Absorption of excess metabolic acids
Diabetes mellitus
Diarrhoea
Excess vomiting
Uremia
Conditions where metabolic alkalosis occurs:
Administration of diuretics
Excessive ingestion of alkaline drugs
Loss of chloride ions
Endocrine disorder
5. The acid-base balance of the plasma in our body is maintained by bicarbonate/carbonic acid buffer system in our
blood plasma. It is considered as the most important plasma buffer. When there are excess acid that liberated in the

ADDITIONAL INFO:
body, it will be neutralizes by some of the sodium carbonate and when there is alkalinity, it combines with carbonic
acid to form bicarbonate.
6. Citrate compounds are usually used as systemic alkalizer such as Sodium citrate and Potassium citrate. These two
are used to combat alkalosis.