Calcium carbide is a chemical compound used in the production of acetylene gas, fertilizer, and steelmaking. It is industrially produced in high temperatures and reacts with water to produce acetylene. Carbide lamps, once used in mines and as headlights, are now rarely used due to safety concerns.
Calcium carbide is a chemical compound containing calcium and carbide, with a chemical formula of CaC2. Pure calcium carbide is colorless, but most of the material is industrially produced and is somewhat impure, giving it a black or grayish-white color, depending on the grade. The main use of this substance is in the production of the flammable gas acetylene.
It is necessary to produce calcium carbide industrially, because it is not present in large quantities in nature. Very high temperatures are required to produce the material, on the order of 3630 degrees Fahrenheit (2000 degrees C). It is made in a type of furnace called an electric arc furnace, which can reach temperatures much higher than those obtained by simple combustion. The basic chemical process used to make the material hasn’t changed since it was discovered in 1888.
When any type of calcium carbide comes into contact with water, it immediately initiates a chemical reaction that produces two new compounds, one of which is acetylene, a very useful flammable gas. Countries like China use large quantities of acetylene as an industrial fuel, mainly because it is cheaper to produce and use domestically than importing petroleum for the same purpose. Oddly enough, acetylene can also be used to speed up fruit ripening, in the same way as ethylene.
Another use of calcium carbide is in the production of certain types of fertilizer. Calcium cyanamide is one of them, and is produced when calcium carbide reacts with nitrogen at high temperatures. Some steelmaking processes also require the use of this material.
One of the earliest uses of this material was in a device called a carbide lamp. This was a type of lamp that exploited the fact that water and calcium carbide react together to produce acetylene. These lamps have been used in mines since the late 19th century. The open flame produced by the acetylene burning in the lamp ruled out its use in coal mines, but tin, copper and slate miners could benefit.
Carbide lamps were also used as headlights and even as automobile and bicycle headlights. Their use is rare today and is mostly limited to hunting and cave exploration, and even here better lighting options are generally available. It is important to remember that the acetylene produced when calcium carbide comes into contact with water is a highly flammable and potentially explosive gas and therefore safety precautions must be taken.
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