Calcination Reactions

Calcination reactions occur due to the heating of a substance at a very high temperature in a limited supply of oxygen. These reactions result in physical and chemical changes in the material, often leading to the removal of volatile components, decomposition of compounds, or other transformations.

Some substances that show Calcination reactions are Limestone (Calcium Carbonate), Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate), Calcination of Aluminum Hydroxide, Calcination of Magnesium Carbonate, etc.

Few of the Calcination Reactions are explained below:

Calcination of Gypsum

The chemical formula of gypsum is CaSO₄․2H₂O. Gypsum is known as calcium sulfate dihydrate due to the presence of two molecules of water. When gypsum is subjected to calcination then it produces calcium sulfate hemihydrate, well known as plaster of Paris (P.O.P.). The formula of plaster of Paris is CaSO₄.1/2H₂O. The Calcination reaction of gypsum can be given as

CaSO₄.2H₂O → CaSO₄.1/2H₂O + 3/2H₂O

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Calcination of Limestone

Calcination process is used for the extraction of many metals from its ores. Although there are many examples of the calcination process. Calcination of limestone (CaCO₃) is one of the most famous examples of the calcination process. When limestone is heated at 848^o C, it decomposes into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.

CaCO₃ → CaO + CO₂(g)

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Calcination refers to a thermal treatment process applied to ores and other solid materials in the absence of oxygen or air. Calcination is one of the important methods used for the extraction of metals in metallurgy. This process is carried out in a controlled environment with a regulated temperature. The calcination method generally removes moisture from compounds.

In this article, we are going to discuss the Calcination process, Calcination definition, Calcination formula, Calcination example, the difference between calcination and roasting, and a few applications of calcination.