 Discovery Information |
| Who:
Sir Humphrey Davy
|
| When: 1808 |
| Where: England |
|
| Name Origin |
| Latin: calx, calcis (lime). |
|
| Sources |
| Obtained from minerals like chalk, limestone and marble. Very abundant. Makes up 3.5% of crust (making it the fifth most abundant
element
). Occurs only in compounds. Calcium is found mostly in soil systems as limestone, gypsum and fluorite. Stalagmites and stalactites contain calcium carbonate. |
|
| Uses |
| Used for dehydrating oils, decarburization and desulfurization of iron and its alloys, getter in vacuum tubes. Also used as an alloying agent for aluminum, copper and lead, a reducing agent for beryllium and used in fertilizer, concrete and plaster of paris. Calcium is an essential component shells, bones, teeth and plant structures. |
|
| Notes |
| Calcium was prepared as lime by the Romans under the name calyx in the 1st century A.D., but the metal was not discovered until 1808.
Berzelius
and Pontin prepared calcium amalgam by electrolizing lime in mercury.
Davy
was then successful in isolating the impure metal. Why did it take so long? Calcium is the fifth most abundant metalic
element
in the earth's crust, but is never found in the
elemental
form because it is so reactive. It is found in limestone (CaCO3) gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) and fluorite (CaF2). Pure calcium is a shiny soft metal that will react violently with water to produce hydrogen. |
| Calcium is an important component of a healthy diet. A deficit can affect bone and teeth formation, while overretention can cause kidney stones. Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium. Dairy products, such as milk and cheese, are a well-known source of calcium. |
