Calcium (Ca)
"The Bone Builder, the hero who provides the strong framework for our bodies and for buildings."
A memorable persona to anchor Ca in your mind.
1.55
Grams per cm³
842
Celsius (°C)
231
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
The chalk used on a blackboard or the cement in a sidewalk.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1808
Discovered By
Humphry Davy
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Latin ''calx'' meaning lime."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
40.078 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
1484°C
Electron Configuration
[Ar] 4s2
1st Ionization Energy
6.113 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"A relatively soft, silvery-white metal."
Did You Know?
It is the most abundant metal in the human body, making up about 1.5% of our body weight, with 99% of it stored in bones and teeth.
Limestone, marble, and chalk are all different forms of calcium carbonate.
Coral reefs and the shells of many marine organisms are built from calcium carbonate.
Early forms of cement and mortar used by ancient Egyptians and Romans were based on heating limestone (calcium carbonate).