What Does
Calcium Chloride Mean?
Calcium chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the molecular formula CaCl2. At normal temperatures and pressures it is an off-white solid. Calcium chloride is often found in an aqueous solution because it is highly solvent in water.
Because it is a salt, calcium chloride in water is an electrolytic solution. Exposing materials to an aqueous solution containing calcium chloride increases the likelihood and the rate of corrosion.
Corrosionpedia Explains Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride is a salt; more specifically, it is the chloride salt of calcium.
As a salt, it is often used for deicing purposes. An aqueous solution containing calcium chloride has a lower freezing temperature than sodium chloride. However, calcium chloride is more expensive than sodium chloride, so for applications where cost is a concern (e.g., treating roadways), sodium chloride is more frequently used.
Calcium chloride is also used as a firming agent for foods, and is especially useful when canning vegetables and other types of foods for this reason. Calcium chloride is also hygroscopic, which means it can pull moisture from the surrounding environment, so it is used as a desiccant. This is beneficial when it is placed in containers with powders that must remain dry.
Calcium chloride is usually harvested from limestone using the Solvay process, which involves combining brine and limestone to produce soda ash and calcium chloride. Calcium chloride can also be harvested by combining limestone and hydrochloric acid.