Compounds
Its natural and prepared compounds are widely used. Quicklime (CaO), which is made by heating
limestone that is changed into slaked lime by carefully adding water, is the great base of chemical
refinery with countless uses.
Mixed with sand it hardens as mortar and plaster by taking up carbon dioxide from the air. Calcium from
limestone is an important element in Portland cement.
The solubility of the carbonate in water containing carbon dioxide causes the formation of caves with
stalagtites and stalagmites and is responsible for hardness in water. Other important compounds are the
carbide, chloride, cyanamide, hypochlorite, nitrate, and sulfide.
Sources: CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and the American Chemical Society.
Last Updated: 12/19/97, CST Information Services Team
Calcium