Page 204 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

CALCIUM OXIDE

Interesting Facts

• Calcium oxide is often the bright lights needed
used to ‘‘lime’’ lake waters to illuminate stage
that have been acidified by productions. From this
acid rain. It reacts with and practice came the
neutralizes acids in the expression ‘‘being in the
lake formed when nitric limelight’’ to refer to anyone
and sulfuric acid in acid who was in public view of
rain are carried to earth by large groups of people.
rain, snow, sleet, and other
• Because it was thought
forms of precipitation.
to accelerate the decom-
• When calcium oxide is position of soft tissue,
heated near its melting quicklime has historically
point, it gives off a brilliant been used in the burial of
white light. In the years diseased animals and
before electricity was humans. For example,
available for lighting, bodies of plague victims
particularly during the in London in 1666 were
second half of the directed to be buried in
nineteenth century, heated quicklime.
lime was used to produce

smokestack, for example, contains oxides of sulfur and nitro-
gen that, in the atmosphere, combine with water to form
sulfuric acid and nitric acid. To prevent the formation of
these pollutants, ‘‘scrubbers’’ can be installed in smokestacks.
The scrubbers contain some chemical that reacts with and
neutralizes the oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. One of the
most common compounds used for this purpose is calcium
oxide. About 15 percent of all calcium oxide used in the
United States goes to this application.

Some other uses of calcium oxide include:
• In water treatment plants, to control acidity of the
water being treated and to remove impurities present
in the water;
• In theconstructionindustry, whereitisusedtomake
plaster,mortar,stucco,bricks,andotherbuildingmaterials;
• As a filler to strengthen paper products;

CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS 153