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Carbonic acid, which is a weak acid, forms when rainwater and carbon dioxide in the air react with one another. When carbonic acid comes into contact with limestone or calcium carbonate, it can cause it to dissolve over a long period of time. In nature, this reaction leads to the formation of caves.
Calcium carbonate, in nature, also commonly dissolves. It's just not as immediate as dissolution of the more soluble ionic compounds. You are probably familiar with this phenomenon: This forms because calcium carbonate dissolves. The rock is limestone, which is usually composed of pure calcium carbonate.Acidic water greatly enhances the solubility of calcium carbonate, and it doesn't even need to be highly acidic.o note that solubility of ionic compounds are not absolute. In fact, solubility in water is often given as a value in g/L of water. However, generally, we define solubility as: 1  Soluble substances can form a 0.1M solution at 25 Â°C. 2  Insoluble substances cannot form a 0.1M solution at 25 Â°C.