What is calcium? - Calcium facts

The element calcium is the third most abundant alkaline earth metal in the earth's crust. However, despite this, it cannot be found as an element in nature since it easily binds a chemical reaction with air and water to combine with other elements and form compounds. Calcium facts show that the most abundant calcium sources that occur naturally are chalk, gypsum, and lime. Lime is made up of calcium carbonate, which is basically a compound of calcium and carbon.

The Romans were the first people to use calcium in the first century but it was Sir Humphrey Davy of England who discovered the element in 1808 by extracting the metal using electrolysis of calcium carbonate and hot mercury in order to extract the metal calcium. Since then, calcium has been in use in industries for many applications.

Other calcium facts are: calcium supplements sold commercially are actually compounds of calcium citrate or calcium carbonate. The body merely breaks these compounds down during digestion and separate calcium for the body to absorb. Calcium facts are 99% of our calcium intake goes to the bones and teeth. The remaining 1% mixes in the blood and used by the body, which is integral for other vital processes such as blood coagulation, muscle contraction, and proper functioning of the central nervous system.

More calcium facts
The body needs calcium to maintain bone density. Otherwise, long-term calcium deficiency can lead to the crippling disease known as osteoporosis especially in the elderly. Osteoporosis happens when the bones become loses its density and becomes brittle – which is prone to fractures even in minor accidents. In the U.S., more than $13 billion is spent for health insurance services in treating osteoporosis-related incidents such as fractured bones.

Calcium pantothenate, popularly known as vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid, is a compound essential in cell metabolism and synthesis of enzymes like carbohydrates, fatty acids, and even protein in order for the release of energy.

Calcium facts – daily requirements
We need calcium all throughout our lives. Infants age 0-6months and 7-12months are required a daily intake of 210mg and 270mg, respectively. Toddlers need 500mg of calcium per day while preschool children aged 4-8 years old need 800mg. Calcium is vital between the ages 9-18, especially during the growth spurt years of puberty in which adolescent tend to be most active. Calcium needs to be maintained at 1000mg each day from 19-50 years of age to prevent osteoporosis later in life. Older people aged 50 and above need 1200mg of calcium while pregnant and lactating women need 1300mg of calcium to support the infants as well as themselves.

What is Calcium Acetate?

Calcium acetate is a compound that could be a source of calcium carbonate and acetone. When heated above 160°C, calcium acetate is broken down into calcium carbonate and acetone, which is a hazardous vapor when released. It is a coarse, white powder with a slight acetic acid odor. Calcium acetate is water-soluble and its pH level is 7.

Uses of calcium acetate

In medicine, calcium acetate is used to treat hyperphosphatemia, a condition in which the phosphate level in the blood is very high than normal. In hyperphophatemia, calcium acetate binds with the phosphate in the blood and eliminates it as urine or stool. It’s also used to treat kidney diseases as well as treat or prevent calcium deficiency.

Doctor's prescription is crucial in taking this drug and dosage may be adjusted if you currently have or a history of kidney stones, have parathyroid gland disease, are taking antacids and calcium supplements at the same time, are taking tetracycline antibiotics. Antacids usually contain aluminum, and the latter can decrease the effectiveness of many types of medicines by binding to them or changing the acidity level in the stomach and urine. Other medicines that may react to calcium acetate are digoxin, and calcitriol or vitamin D supplements.

Although there is no clear evidence, yet, as to the effects of calcium acetate on fetuses or breastfed infants, it is important to discuss with your doctor prior to taking this drug if your are pregnant or breastfeeding. Moreover, this medicine had been tested only on adult patients so that specific information of its effects on children has not been established yet.

Possible side effects of calcium acetate

Like any other medicines, taking calcium acetate should be ceased at once if you experience any allergic reactions such as difficulty breathing, narrowing of the throat, full or partial loss of consciousness, incoherent speech, and swelling of the lips, tongue, or face, or hives.

For less serious reactions, you may continue taking calcium acetate provided that you also discuss them with your doctor. Other side effects may include itching, nausea or vomiting, constipation, drying of the mouth or increased thirst, loss of appetite, and increased urination. In cases of overdose, symptoms would vary from nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation, confusion, delirium, stupor, and coma.

Like all other medicines, calcium acetate must be kept out of reach of children and containers need to be disposed of properly as they could contain residues.

Calcium Oxide

Calx, lim, or lime. Regardless what term you use, they all mean the same thing. Calcium Oxide is a widely-used chemical compound with the chemical symbol CaO. It is described as colorless and crystalline or white and shapeless. Other names for calcium oxide are quicklime and caustic lime.

Calcium oxide is produced through the heating of coral, limestone, chalk, or sea shells, all of which are calcium carbonates. This process expels carbon dioxide gas, leaving lime as the main product. Moreover, this particular process is reversible, meaning, lime reacts with carbon dioxide in order to produce calcium carbonate.

Sourcing out calcium oxide from limestone is among the oldest chemical processes done by man. The vast presence of limestone in the planet and its convenient way of producing calcium oxide from it is only one of the reasons why lime is considered as an ancient chemical product. Another reason is its being valuable. Since it has many uses, industries manufacture it in a large scale. In fact, the United States produced about 20 million metric tons of calcium oxide in the year 2000.

Calcium oxide’s reaction with carbon dioxide is at a slow rate in room temperature. However, the process can be sped up by mixing water with lime, producing calcium hydroxide or slaked lime. The reaction of carbon dioxide and calcium hydroxide then is made faster, creating a quick-hardening mortar as an end product.

Calcium oxide is of great importance to the modern world. Almost half of its production is intended for use by the steel industry. This is because of the fact that lime has the ability to react with silicates to form solutions.

The manufacture of some metals also utilizes calcium oxide. Some chemicals are also produced using lime as an essential material. There are numerous industrial processes that involve the use of calcium oxide such as removal of phosphates in sewages, water supply pretreatment, pulping wood in the paper industry, and as coagulant in the sugar industry.

Calcium oxide can be harmful when inhaled, irritating the lungs, causing shortness of breath and coughing. Contact can lead to eye and skin irritations or burns. Being exposed for a long time may result to nose irritation which can later result to a porous bone, fragile nails, and breaks in the skin.

Lime even played a huge part in theatres. Why else, do you think, would they call limelight as such?