Calcium is an alkaline earth metal, fundamental for biological skeletal structures and cell signaling.
Core Principles & Analysis
Humphry Davy isolated calcium in 1808 by electrolyzing a mixture of lime and mercuric oxide.
It is the fifth most abundant element in Earth's crust, colors flames brick-red, and its phosphate mineral hydroxyapatite gives bones and teeth their strength.
Calcium compounds are the basis of cement, mortar, and plaster, and calcium metal deoxidizes steel during production.