Calcium carbide
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Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of CaC2. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.[3]
Names | |
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Preferred IUPAC name
Calcium acetylide | |
Systematic IUPAC name
Calcium ethynediide | |
Other names
Calcium percarbide Calcium carbide Calcium dicarbide | |
Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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ChemSpider |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.772 |
EC Number |
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PubChem CID |
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UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
CaC2 | |
Molar mass | 64.099 g/mol |
Appearance | White powder to grey/black crystals |
Density | 2.22 g/cm3 |
Melting point | 2,160 °C (3,920 °F; 2,430 K) |
Boiling point | 2,300 °C (4,170 °F; 2,570 K) |
Reacts to produce Acetylene | |
Structure[1] | |
Tetragonal (I phase) Monoclinic (II phase) Monoclinic (III phase) | |
I4/mmm (I phase) C2/c (II phase) C2/m (III phase) | |
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Thermochemistry | |
Std molar entropy (S⦵298) |
70 J·mol−1·K−1 |
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) |
−63 kJ·mol−1 |
Hazards | |
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards |
Reacts with water to release acetylene gas[2] |
GHS labelling: | |
Danger | |
H260 | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
305 °C (581 °F; 578 K) (acetylene) | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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The pure material is colorless, while pieces of technical-grade calcium carbide are grey or brown and consist of about 80–85% of CaC2 (the rest is CaO (calcium oxide), Ca3P2 (calcium phosphide), CaS (calcium sulfide), Ca3N2 (calcium nitride), SiC (silicon carbide), etc.). In the presence of trace moisture, technical-grade calcium carbide emits an unpleasant odor reminiscent of garlic.[4]
Applications of calcium carbide include manufacture of acetylene gas, generation of acetylene in carbide lamps, manufacture of chemicals for fertilizer, and steelmaking.