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calcium oxide

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calcium oxide

a white crystalline base used in the production of calcium hydroxide and bleaching powder and in the manufacture of glass, paper, and steel. Formula: CaO
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

calcium oxide

[′kal·se·əm ′äk‚sīd]
(inorganic chemistry)
CaO A caustic white solid sparingly soluble in water; the commercial form is prepared by roasting calcium carbonate limestone in kilns until all the carbon dioxide is driven off; used as a refractory, in pulp and paper manufacture, and as a flux in manufacture of steel. Also known as burnt lime; calx; caustic lime.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

lime

A white or grayish-white caustic substance, calcium oxide, usually obtained by heating limestone or marble at a high temperature; used chiefly in plasters, mortars, and cements. In the past, in many areas along the seacoast where limestone was scarce, seashells were heated to obtain lime. See also hydrated lime, hydraulic lime, mortar, shell lime, slaked lime.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Calcium Oxide

 

(also quicklime), CaO, a compound of calcium and oxygen; colorless crystals with a density of 3.4 g/cm3 and a melting point of 2585°C. The industrial product is a white porous substance. Calcium oxide reacts vigorously with water, liberating a considerable amount of heat and forming calcium hydroxide: CaO + H2O = Ca(OH)2 (slaking process). Calcium oxide is obtained by the calcination of limestone or chalk. It is widely used in construction, the chemical industry, metallurgy, agriculture, and water purification.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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