What is Calcium ?

Calcium

Calcium is the chemical symbol Ca and 20 having an atomic weight of 40,078 AMU. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and more frequent, is the fifth element of the mass of the earth’s crust. Calcium is the fifth most dissolved ions in sea water and the molar mass of sodium chloride and magnesium sulfate.

Calcium is important for living organisms, especially in the physiology of the cell, where the movement of calcium ions Ca^{2 +} in the cytoplasm and functions as a signal for many cellular processes. As one of the main materials of the mineralization of bones and shells, calcium is most often made of metal in the body of animals.

Calcium is not evident in his element. Calcium occurs most commonly in sedimentary rocks in the minerals calcite, dolomite and gypsum. Also occurs in Igneous and metamorphic rocks, particularly in silicate minerals: plagioklas, amphiboles, pyroxenes and garnets.

Some applications can be used calsium:
• as a reducing agent in the production of other metals such as uranium, thorium and zirconium.
• to deoxidizer, desulphurization, or different decarbonisation iron and non ferrous alloys.
• alloying elements of the agents in the manufacture of aluminum, beryllium, copper, lead and magnesium alloys.
• in the manufacture of cement and mortar used in construction.
• in the manufacture of cheese, with calcium ions on the activity of the laboratory, to coagulate the milk.

There are many types of calcium, as :

• Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) to produce cement and gypsum, lime, limestone (usually steel), aid to production in the glass industry, chemical and optical properties of minerals in tooth pulp
• Calcium phosphate (Ca₃ (PO₄) ₂) is considered as a supplement for animal feed, fertilizer, production of pulp and yeast products for the manufacture of glass, and dental products.
• Calcium sulphate (CaSO₄ • 2H₂O) is common as chalk, and as hemihydrate, better known as gypsum.

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) is one of the common bonds of calcium. Heated, lime (CaO) and then water (H₂O).

If water seeps through limestone, carbonate or other soluble, dissolves part of the rock and causes of education and the cave of stalactites and stalagmites typical and hard water.