Calcium oxide (CaO), commonly known as burnt lime, lime or quicklime, is a widely used
chemical compound. It is a white,
caustic and
alkaline crystalline solid. As a commercial product lime often also contains
magnesium oxide,
silicon oxide and smaller amounts of
aluminium oxide and
iron oxide.
Calcium oxide is usually made by the thermal decomposition of materials such as
limestone, that contain
calcium carbonate (CaCO3; mineral name:
calcite) in a
lime kiln. This is accomplished by heating the material to above 825°
C, a process called
calcination or lime-burning, to liberate a molecule of
carbon dioxide(CO2); leaving CaO. This process is reversible, since once the quicklime product has cooled, it immediately begins to absorb
carbon dioxide from the air, until, after enough time, it is completely converted back to
calcium carbonate. Calcination of limestone is one of the first chemical reactions discovered by man and was known in
prehistory.
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