20 Ca 40.078

Calcium

alkaline earth metal

Properties

Atomic number
20
Atomic mass
40.078 u
Category
alkaline earth metal
Group
2
Period
4
Block
s-block
State (room temp)
Solid
Outer-shell electrons
2
Electronegativity
1 (Pauling)
Density
1.55 g/cm³
Melting point
841.85 °C
Boiling point
1483.85 °C

Electron configuration

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s²

Noble-gas shorthand: [Ar] 4s²

Electrons per shell: 2, 8, 8, 2 — that's 2 in the outermost shell.

See how electron configuration is built →

Ca
Bohr model — outer-shell electrons in blue

About Calcium

Calcium is a chemical element with symbol Ca and atomic number 20. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust. The ion Ca2+ is also the fifth-most-abundant dissolved ion in seawater by both molarity and mass, after sodium, chloride, magnesium, and sulfate.

Position in the periodic table

Open the interactive periodic table →

Data compiled from Wikipedia, PubChem, and IUPAC. Source.