Calcium as a pure chemical element was first isolated in 1808 by the English chemist Sir Humphry Davy, using electrolysis of a mixture of lime (calcium oxide) and mercuric oxide.

Key timeline

  • Ancient civilizations used calcium compounds such as limestone (calcium carbonate) and lime (calcium oxide) thousands of years ago for building materials and plaster, long before the element itself was recognized.
  • In 1787, Antoine Lavoisier proposed that lime contained a new element , anticipating calcium’s elemental status but without isolating it in pure form.
  • In 1808, Humphry Davy finally isolated metallic calcium by electrolyzing a mixture of lime and mercuric oxide, and this experiment is what is regarded as the discovery of elemental calcium.

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