Calcium bromide has a surprisingly wide variety of uses. In its flake and powder forms calcium bromide is part of several medicines. Liquid calcium bromide can be found on oil and gas well drilling sites. Fire retardants and several preservatives may also contain calcium bromide. This wonder compound is also widely used in photographic products and mixtures that promote freezing. Calcium bromide has so many uses and is so prevalent in manufacturing that it is part of the bromine market sector which is reported on by some financial analysts.

White in its solid form and clear when found as a liquid, calcium bromide is odorless whether as a solid or as a liquid. The compound is stable and non-flammable in its accepted uses; this stability accounts for the widespread popularity of calcium bromide in a number of industrial environments. Identified by the chemical symbol CaBr2, calcium bromide has a boiling point of 806 C and is completely soluble in water. As a solid the compound has a pH of 4.0 to 6.0 while liquid calcium bromide has a pH of 3.0 to 5.0.

Pharmaceutical grade calcium bromide may be prescribed for a multitude of ailments from anxiety to epilepsy to schizophrenia. In the early part of the twentieth century it was used on the battlefield to treat nervous conditions caused by war. Some pediatricians advise calcium bromide in small doses for nervous children. Doctors may also prescribe it to encourage evacuation of water from the bowels. In its medicinal form calcium bromide should never be used except under a doctor’s care. Production grade calcium bromide is an irritant to the lungs, eyes, skin and digestive tract.

Manufacturing grade calcium bromide makes its home in a number of industries. Along with other bromines, calcium bromide serves as an excellent fire retardant. The fire retardant on Christmas trees often contains calcium bromide. Water treatment plants also make wide use of calcium bromide. Many photographic developing applications require calcium bromide and it is also found in photographic emulsions. Calcium bromide may also be used as a preservative for both wood and in food.

The compound may be most widely used in a variety of functions on oil and gas drilling sites. Calcium bromide shows up all along the well drilling process. It can be used as a drilling fluid, as a completion fluid and during the makeover process. Due to its stability and lack of solids, liquid calcium bromide is in high demand on the oil and gas fields.

Most people have no idea what calcium bromide is, much less the many uses it has both in medicine and in industry. Many people may well know have family and friends who use calcium bromide to deal with a variety of medical conditions. Varieties of it can be found in use throughout our daily lives. Despite the fact that it isn’t a household word, this multi-faceted chemical compound will continue to be much in demand.