The key difference between cobalt chloride and calcium chloride is that cobalt chloride has a cobalt cation bonded to a chloride anion, and it is sky blue in color, whereas calcium chloride has a calcium cation bonded to a chloride anion and it is white in color.
Cobalt chloride is a salt of cobalt, while calcium chloride is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula CaCl2. These two compounds are ionic compounds having different chemical and physical properties. They are also different in appearance.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cobalt Chloride
3. What is Calcium Chloride
4. Cobalt Chloride vs Calcium Chloride in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Cobalt Chloride vs Calcium Chloride
What is Cobalt Chloride?
Cobalt chloride can be described as a salt of cobalt. It is an inorganic compound having the chemical formula CoCl2. The hydrated form of this compound is a hexahydrate compound that has one cobalt chloride salt molecule attracted to six water molecules.
CoCl2 6H2O is cobalt chloride hexahydrate that has cobalt chloride slat molecules attracted to six water molecules. This hydrated form has a rose-red color, and it is a crystalline compound. The molar mass of this compound is 237.93 g/mol. Its density is about 1.924 g/cm3.
Anhydrous cobalt chloride is the water-free form of cobalt chloride salt. It has no water for crystallization. It has a sky blue color. The molar mass of this compound is 129.84 g/mol. Its melting point is 735◦C. The compound has a hexagonal geometry.
What is Calcium Chloride?
Calcium chloride can be described as an inorganic compound having the chemical formula CaCl2. It is a chloride salt of calcium. It is observable that this substance exists as a white-colored crystalline solid at room temperature. Furthermore, calcium chloride material is highly water-soluble.
Calcium chloride is commonly known as a hydrated substance; the number of water molecules that are associated with one calcium chloride molecule can be 0, 1, 2, 4, or 6. Usually, these hydrates are important as de-icing agents and as dust control agents. Moreover, an anhydrous CaCl2 substance is useful as a desiccant due to its hygroscopic nature.
We can prepare calcium chloride from limestone as a byproduct of the Solvay process. The Solvay process is the method of producing sodium carbonate, where calcium chloride forms along with sodium carbonate. The reaction involves sodium chloride and calcium carbonate (from limestone). However, we can also make this substance from the purification of brine solution.
Typically, calcium chloride is considered a non-toxic compound. However, due to its hygroscopic property, the anhydrous form of this compound can be hazardous. It can act as an irritant to the skin by desiccating the moist skin.
What is the Difference Between Cobalt Chloride and Calcium Chloride?
Cobalt chloride can be described as a salt of cobalt. Calcium chloride can be described as an inorganic compound having the chemical formula CaCl2. The key difference between cobalt chloride and calcium chloride is that cobalt chloride has a cobalt cation bonded to a chloride anion, and it is sky blue in color, whereas calcium chloride has a calcium cation bonded to a chloride anion and it is white in color.
The below infographic presents the differences between cobalt chloride and calcium chloride in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Cobalt Chloride vs Calcium Chloride
Although the terms calcium chloride and cobalt chloride sounds similar, they are two completely different compounds. The key difference between cobalt chloride and calcium chloride is that cobalt chloride has a cobalt cation bonded to a chloride anion, and it has a sky blue color, whereas calcium chloride has a calcium cation bonded to a chloride anion and it is white.
Reference:
1. “What to Know about Cobalt (II) Chloride.” Noah Chemicals, 20 Oct. 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Anhydrous cobalt chloride” By Leiem – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Calcium chloride CaCl2” By No Firetwister assumed – No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia