(3) preventing rapid setting of cement Explanation: Portland cement clinker is a hydraulic material which shall consist of at least two-thirds by mass of calcium silicates, the remainder consisting of aluminium- and ironcontaining clinker phases and other compounds. The ratio of CaO to SiO2 shall not be less than 2.0. The magnesium oxide content (MgO) shall not exceed 5.0% by mass. Cement sets when mixed with water by way of a complex series of chemical reactions still only partly understood.