Does Calcium Conduct Electricity? 7 Facts You Should Know

Calcium is a silvery white metal which is soft in nature and popular for its reducing properties. Let us know whether calcium conducts electricity or not.

Calcium conducts electricity. The reason for calcium conducting electricity is the availability of free electrons in its atoms. These electrons are used to be present in metal atoms and jump from one atom to another which in turn conducts electricity. The mechanism of current conduction is the same for calcium.

There are ionic bonds present in the atomic structure of calcium which helps the delocalized electrons to move. Let us go through the facts related to why calcium conducts electricity,what are its properties and many more questions like these.

Why does calcium conduct electricity?

Conduction of electrons refers to the flow of a bunch of charges(electrons) in a particular direction. Let us go through the reason for electricity conduction by calcium.

Calcium conducts electricity because there are two valence electrons present in the outermost orbit of a calcium atom. The loosely bound electrons present in the outermost shell of an atom of a metal is responsible for current conduction by that metal. In a calcium atom these two electrons pass electricity.

Calcium has a finite value of electrical conductivity. This is another reason why calcium conducts electricity in an appreciable quantity.

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Image credit: Calcium by Jurii (CC BY 3.0)

What is the electrical conductivity of calcium?

Every metal is used to possess a finite value of electrical conductivity. Let us know the value of electrical conductivity of calcium.

The value of electrical conductivity of calcium in SI unit at room temperature is 2.9 x 10⁷ Siemens per meter. This appreciable value of electrical conductivity makes calcium able to pass electric current.

Properties of calcium

Calcium has several physical properties as well as several chemical properties. Let us see them below.

Physical properties

  • Calcium is an alkaline earth metal of group 2
  • At the room temperature(20℃) it has density of 1.6 gm/cm3
  • The melting point and boiling point of calcium is 840℃ and 1484℃ respectively

Chemical properties

  • Atomic number of calcium is 20
  • Atomic mass of calcium is 40.08 gm/mole
  • According to pauling calcium has an electronegativity of 1.0
  • Its value of ionic radius is 0.99Å

Does the conductivity of calcium vary with temperature?

Temperature is a prime factor which affects the values of electrical conductivity. Let us focus on whether the conductivity of calcium varies with temperature or not.

The electrical conductivity of calcium varies with temperature. The value of electrical conductivity of calcium increases with decrease in temperature. Conversely,the value of electrical conductivity of calcium decreases with increase in temperature. This mechanism is similar to the other metals.

When the temperature of calcium increases naturally the energy of electrons also increases. This increased energy provokes the electrons to collide with one another which in turn decreases its value of electrical conductivity.

What is the electrical resistivity of calcium?

The electrical resistivity of a metal is the measurement of how it can resist the flow of electric current through it. Let us know the value of the electrical resistivity of Ca.

The value of electrical resistivity of calcium is 3.36 x 10⁻⁸ Ω.m at 20℃.

The electrical resistivity of calcium varies with temperature. When temperature increases the value of resistivity increases and when temperature decreases the value of resistivity decreases.

Why is calcium a poor electrical conductor than copper?

Poor electrical conductors used to have less capacity to flow electric current. Let us have a look at why calcium is a poor electrical conductor than copper.

Calcium is a poor electrical conductor than copper. This is because calcium has a less value of electrical conductivity whereas copper has a very high value of electrical conductivity of 5.87 x 10⁷ Siemens per meter.

This higher value of electrical conductivity helps copper to conduct current very swiftly and at a very high rate. In spite of having less no of valence electrons calcium cuprous is a good conductor of electricity.

Is calcium hydroxide a good conductor of electricity?

Calcium hydroxide is a colourless inorganic compound with a chemical formula of Ca(OH)2. Let us focus on whether calcium hydroxide is a good conductor of electricity or not.

Calcium hydroxide is a good conductor of electricity only when it is in the aqueous state or is in molten form and ionizes itself. Calcium hydroxide solution is basically an electrolytic solution in which the dissociated ions of calcium hydroxide are the electrolytes that carry electric current.

Conclusion

In this article 7 important facts related to current conduction by calcium have been discussed. The properties of calcium, whether it is able to conduct electricity or not, how its conductivity is affected by temperature, at what conditions calcium hydroxide can conduct electricity are answered briefly in it.

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