Calcium oxide

Calcium oxide
Ionic crystal structure of calcium oxide
  Ca2+   O2-
Powder sample of white calcium oxide
Names
IUPAC name
Calcium oxide
Other names
  • Lime
  • Quicklime
  • Burnt lime
  • Unslaked lime
  • Free lime (building)
  • Caustic lime
  • Pebble lime
  • Calcia
  • Oxide of calcium
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.013.763
EC Number
  • 215-138-9
E number E529 (acidity regulators, ...)
Gmelin Reference
485425
KEGG
RTECS number
  • EW3100000
UNII
UN number 1910
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
  • InChI=1S/Ca.O
    Key: ODINCKMPIJJUCX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
  • InChI=1/Ca.O/rCaO/c1-2
    Key: ODINCKMPIJJUCX-BFMVISLHAU
SMILES
  • O=[Ca]
Properties
CaO
Molar mass 56.0774 g/mol
Appearance White to pale yellow/brown powder
Odor Odorless
Density 3.34 g/cm3[1]
Melting point 2,613 °C (4,735 °F; 2,886 K)[1]
Boiling point 2,850 °C (5,160 °F; 3,120 K) (100 hPa)[2]
Reacts to form calcium hydroxide
Solubility in Methanol Insoluble (also in diethyl ether, octanol)
Acidity (pKa) 12.8
Magnetic susceptibility (χ)
−15.0×10−6 cm3/mol
Structure
Cubic, cF8
Thermochemistry
Std molar
entropy (S298)
40 J·mol−1·K−1[3]
−635 kJ·mol−1[3]
Pharmacology
QP53AX18 (WHO)
Hazards
GHS labelling:
Pictograms
Danger
Hazard statements
H302, H314, H315, H335
Precautionary statements
P260, P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P301+P312, P301+P330+P331, P302+P352, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P310, P312, P321, P330, P332+P313, P362, P363, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
3
0
2
Flash point Non-flammable[4]
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
>2000 mg/kg oral, female rat [5]
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
TWA 5 mg/m3[4]
REL (Recommended)
TWA 2 mg/m3[4]
IDLH (Immediate danger)
25 mg/m3[4]
Safety data sheet (SDS) ICSC 0409
Related compounds
Other anions
Other cations
  • Beryllium oxide
  • Magnesium oxide
  • Strontium oxide
  • Barium oxide
  • Radium oxide
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Calcium oxide (formula: CaO), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term lime connotes calcium-containing inorganic compounds, in which carbonates, oxides, and hydroxides of calcium, silicon, magnesium, aluminium, and iron predominate. By contrast, quicklime specifically applies to the single compound calcium oxide. Calcium oxide that survives processing without reacting in building products, such as cement, is called free lime.[6]

Quicklime is relatively inexpensive. Both it and the chemical derivative calcium hydroxide (of which quicklime is the base anhydride) are important commodity chemicals.

  1. ^ a b Haynes, William M., ed. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (92nd ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 4.55. ISBN 1-4398-5511-0.
  2. ^ Calciumoxid (Archived 2013-12-30 at the Wayback Machine). GESTIS database
  3. ^ a b Zumdahl, Steven S. (2009). Chemical Principles 6th Ed. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. A21. ISBN 978-0-618-94690-7.
  4. ^ a b c d NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0093". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
  5. ^ "Safety Data Sheet: Calcium Oxide". ThermoFisher Scientific. p. 5. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  6. ^ "free lime". DictionaryOfConstruction.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-09.