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Calcium hydride is widely used as a desiccant for alkaline solvents

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What is Calcium Hydride? Calcium hydride, also known as CaH2, is a compound that has the chemical symbol CaH2. It is therefore an alkaline-earth metal hydride. This gray powder (pure, or sometimes white) reacts violently to water and releases hydrogen. CaH2 has been used for desiccant.

CaH2 has a structure similar to that of salt. During the Battle of the Atlantic German subs used calcium hydroide as a decoy sonar called bold. Alkali metals, alkaline earths metals, and beryllium are all heavier than each other and produce hydrogen halides. The sodium hydride master mold is a well-known example. They are insoluble with all solvents which do not react. Crystals of CaH2 have a structure similar to PbCl2 perovskite.
Why is calcium hydrolith called Hydrolith
CaH2 (brine hydride) is known as hydrolith because it has a structure similar to that of salt. Both alkali earth metals and alkali metals combine to form sodium hydroide.

What is calcium hydride used for?
It is more safe to use than more aggressive reagents. It is used widely as a desiccant in alkaline solvants such as amines, pyridine and sodium metal. It is used to dry alcohol.

Reduced metal oxide
CaH2 is used as a reducer to produce metals out of metal oxides Ti, V., Nb., Ta. and U. Decomposition into Ca metal is recommended for operation.
TiO2 + two CaH2-Ti plus two CaO + two H2

Hydrogen source
CaH2 was used to make hydrogen. In the 1940s it was used to produce hydrogen under the name “Hydrolith”.

Hydrolith is the trade name for this compound. In an emergency it can be used to fill up the airship with portable hydrogen. This usage is expensive.

This may be a reference for wartime usage. The compound has been used as a convenient, safe way to inflate the weather balloons for many decades. In the lab, small amounts are produced to conduct experiments.
Desiccant
CaH2 and water react as follows.
CaH2 + 2 H2O-Ca(OH)2 + 2 H2
Separating H2 and the Ca(OH2)2 hydrolysis products from dry solvents is simple.

Calcium hydride, a mild desiccant, may not be as efficient as molecular Sieves. It is safer than using more reactants like sodium metal or a sodium-potassium alloy. It is used widely as a dehydratant for alkaline solvants such as amines, pyridine and sodium metal. It can be used to dehydrate alcohol.

CaH2 can be a convenient material, but it has its own disadvantages.
As compared with LiAlH4, its drying rate may be slower. CaH2 has a similar appearance to Ca(OH), so its quality is not readily apparent.

What happens when you add water and calcium hydride together?
Calcium hydride reacts violently (CaH2) with water, releasing hydrogen. It was found that the energy activated (Ea = 20,03 kJ/mol), of the hydrolysis of CaH2 is lower than for other reactions.

How can you make calcium hydroxide?
Calcium hydride may be made by reacting dry hydrogen with calcium metal in a range of 300 to 400degC.
One way to prepare calcium hydroide is by heating calcium chloride, hydrogen and sodium. The reaction is triggered by:
CaCl2+H2 + 2 na-CaH2+2 NaCl
In this reaction sodium atoms with chlorine and calcium atoms form sodium chloride.

Magnesium (Mg) can be reduced with calcium oxide (CaO), resulting in the production of calcium hydride. This reaction occurs in the presence hydrogen. This reaction produces also magnesium oxide. The chemical reaction is represented by the following formula:
CaO + H2-CaH2+ MgO

What is the type of bond that calcium hydride has?
The ionic hydroide reacts violently to remove the hydrogen (H2). The dihydrohydrides consist of only hydrogen, one other element, and water. They are usually in the form MH2 (or MH3), such as magnesium hydride, sodium hydride, lithium hydride, calcium hydride, or calcium hydride.

Unstable calcium hydroide as a high-temperature thermal cell with promise
CaH2 is a candidate that has a high energy density (thermal battery) and possesses a low price. Its high operating temperature and low cycle stability have been the major factors in its failure to be developed and implemented as a CSP factory thermal cell. In this study, alumina was used at a 1:1 molar ratio to thermodynamically stabilise CaH2, releasing hydrogen with a lower temperature.
Temperature-programmed desorption measurements show that compared with the decomposition of pure CaH2 to about 1000degC under 1 bar of hydrogen pressure, the addition of Al2O3 will lower the decomposition temperature to ~600degC, thereby making the reaction thermodynamically unstable for the release of hydrogen from CaH2. The pressure component of the isotherm between 612 and636degC determines the experimental entropy, enthalpy, and enthalpy for the system.
Enthalpy and entropy are measured using DHdes=100+-2 kJ mol-1, respectively. Ca12Al14O33 was confirmed by the XRD after TPD. SEM and XRD confirmed that there was a loss of capacity during the hydrogen-cycle at 636degC. The system’s capacity loss is caused by the excess Al2O3. Hydrogen cycle capacity was improved by reducing initial Al2O3 and achieving a CaH2:Al2O3 molar proportion of 2:1. This is a high-temperature, thermal battery that has great potential for the next CSP generation.
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