1673. Calcium Hydroxide

Nomenclature

CAS number: 1305-62-0
Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2); calcium hydrate; slaked lime.
CaH2O2; mol wt 74.09.
Ca 54.09%, H 2.72%, O 43.19%.
Ca(OH)2.

Description and references

Contains at least 95% Ca(OH)2. Commercial prepn by hydration of lime: W. L. Faith et al., Industrial Chemicals (John Wiley, New York, 3rd ed., 1965) pp 483-484. Laboratory prepn by treating an aq soln of a calcium salt with alkali: Ehrlich in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry vol. 1, G. Brauer (Academic Press, New York, 2nd ed., 1963) p 934. Toxicity study: Smyth et al., Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J. 30, 470 (1969).

Properties

Crystals or soft, odorless, granules or powder. Slightly bitter, alkaline taste. Readily absorbs CO2 from air forming CaCO3. Loses water when ignited; forms CaO. d 2.08-2.34. Slightly sol in water; sol in glycerol, sugar or NH4Cl solns; sol in acids with evolution of much heat. pH of aq soln satd at 25°: 12.4. Keep well closed. LD50 orally in rats: 7.34 g/kg (Smyth).

Caution

Potential symptoms of overexposure are irritation of eyes, skin, upper respiratory system; eye and skin burns; skin vesiculation; cough, bronchitis, pneumonia. See NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards (DHHS/NIOSH 97-140, 1997) p 46.

Use

In mortar, plaster, cement and other building and paving materials; in lubricants, drilling fluids, pesticides, fireproofing coatings, water paints; as egg preservative; manuf of paper pulp; in SBR rubber vulcanization; in water treatment; as absorbant for carbon dioxide; dehairing hides.

Therapeutic Category

Astringent.

Keywords

Astringent