Calcium oxide | Source: Globe Stone Hills

Calcium oxide (CaO), universally known as quicklime or burnt lime, is one of the oldest and most widely produced inorganic chemical compounds in the world, with recorded use dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a white to pale grey, odorless, crystalline solid belonging to the class of alkaline earth metal oxides, produced industrially by the high-temperature calcination of calcium carbonate (limestone). Calcium oxide is classified as a basic oxide — strongly alkaline in character — and its defining chemical reactivity, particularly its vigorous exothermic reaction with water, underpins its indispensable role across a wide spectrum of industrial sectors.

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