Calcium chloride
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Description
The anhydrous form of calcium chloride is very Hygroscopic and thus used as a Desiccant. Calcium chloride also exists as dihydrate and hexahydrate crystals; these crystalline forms are used in antifreeze solutions, fire extinguishers, fireproofing solutions, wood preservatives, as a gelling agent for Starch size and to melt snow and ice from roads. Calcium chloride was used to speed up the rate of cure in Mortar, Shotcrete, and dry-mix Concrete until 1973 when it was replaced by a non-chloride accelerator because it corroded Steel reinforcements. Very small amounts of calcium chloride are used in food preparation as a sequestrant, firming agent or to increase calcium content.
Risks
- Contact may cause irritation
- Reaction with water is exothermic
- Ingestion may cause burns
- LabChem: MSDS
Physical and Chemical Properties
Soluble in water (with the evolution of heat). pH = 8 - 9
| Composition | CaCl2 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 10043-52-4 |
| Melting Point | 772 C |
| Density | 2.152 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 110.98 |
| Boiling Point | >1600 C |
Resources and Citations
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 140
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
- Book and Paper Group, Paper Conservation Catalog, AIC, 1984, 1989
- Thomas C. Jester (ed.), Twentieth-Century Building Materials, McGraw-Hill Companies, Washington DC, 1995
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 1630