Cement chemist notation

Abbreviated notation for chemical formulas of common oxides Cement chemist notation (CCN) was developed to simplify the formulas cement chemists use on a daily basis. It is a shorthand way of writing the chemical formula of oxides of calcium, silicon, and various metals. Abbreviations of oxides The main oxides present in cement (or in glass and ceramics) are abbreviated in the following way: CCN Actual formula Name C CaO Calcium oxide, or lime S SiO2 Silicon dioxide, or silica A Al2O3 Aluminium oxide, or alumina F Fe2O3 Iron oxide, or rust T TiO2 Titanium dioxide, or titania M MgO Magnesium oxide, or periclase K K2O Potassium oxide N Na2O Sodium oxide H H2O Water C CO2 Carbon dioxide S SO3 Sulfur trioxide P P4O10 Phosphorus pentoxide Conversion of hydroxides in oxide and free water For the sake of mass balance calculations, hydroxides present in hydrated phases found in hardened cement paste, such as in portlandite, Ca(OH)2, must first be converted into oxide and water. To better understand the conversion process of hydroxide anions in oxide and water, it is necessary to consider the autoprotolysis of the hydroxyl anions; it implies a proton exchange between two OH−, like in a cl