The Element Calcium

Do you know that calcium holds the fifth spot of the most abundant among all the elements on earth? However, regardless of that fact, it can never be found as it is in nature because the element calcium easily reacts with water and oxygen to form compounds.

Romans, during the 1st century, used to prepare the element calcium, then named as calyx, as lime. But it wasn't until 1808 that the element calcium was discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy. Lime was electrolyzed in mercury to produce calcium amalgam. This process was done by Berzelius and Pontin. The discovery of the element calcium by Sir Humphrey Davy was a successful isolation of the impure metal from that process.

The element calcium, with an atomic number 20, is a trimorphic metal. This means that it is harder than the element sodium. However, the element aluminum is still harder compared to the element calcium.

When the ions of the element calcium are dissolved in water, they form sediments on the walls of pipes. This is caused when the water contains too much metal such as magnesium or calcium, and is then termed as hard water. Today, industrial plants make use of water softeners to ease the occurrence of mineral deposits. The process of electrolysis separates the metallic calcium from the softened calcium chloride.

Even if it cannot be found in nature as it is, the element calcium is still one of the most plentiful on earth. Its compounds make up 3.64% of the planet's crust. The element calcium can only be found as limestone, fluorite, gypsum, and other forms of its compounds.

The element calcium is important in every living thing. It can be found in the bones and skeleton of humans and animals, and is present in all kinds of plants. Calcium, in its various forms, plays essential roles in the existence of living matter.

Very few know that calcium is the most plentiful among all metals that can be found in the human body. All bones and teeth are mostly made up of the element calcium. Lime is used as a common reference to it.

While the lack of calcium in our body can lead to osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases, taking in more than the necessary amount can likewise lead to serious medical conditions like kidney stones or the sclerosis of the blood vessels and the kidneys.

There are a lot of uses for the element calcium that we know about. And just how many of those that we know about are correct? We can only guess. Or we can do more than speculate.