Question

Write the chemical formula of the following:
Hydrolith

Answer 1

Hint:First of all, we should know about the compound before knowing its chemical formula. Hydrolith is a salt like binary compound which is used as a reducing agent and source of hydrogen and known as calcium hydride.

Complete answer:
Hydrolith is basically a salt-like binary compound having the chemical formula \[Ca{H_2}\] . In common language, it is also known as calcium hydride. Hydrolith is used as a reducing agent and is also a source for Hydrogen.
It is called Hydrolith because it is used in industries to prepare Dihydrogen. It is a grey powder but can we white when it is pure which is quite rare, it reacts with water and liberates hydrogen gas \[\left( {{H_2}} \right)\] . \[Ca{H_2}\] is thus used as a drying agent, i.e., a desiccant. Hydrolith is much safer than most of the reactive agents such as sodium metal or sodium-potassium alloy. It is an alkaline earth hydride.
This is the reaction when Hydrolith \[\left( {Ca{H_2}} \right)\] reacts with water in order to evolve Hydrogen gas with Calcium Hydroxide.
\[Ca{H_2} + {\text{ }}2{H_2}O \to Ca{\left( {OH} \right)_2} + 2{H_2}\]
Therefore, the chemical formula of Hydrolith is \[Ca{H_2}\] .

Note:
It is also known as calcium hydride as hydride is used for any binary compound formed by the union of hydrogen and other elements. Various drawbacks of hydrolith are – it is insoluble in all solvents with which it does not react vigorously. So, the speed of the drying action of hydrolith is slow. As hydrolith and calcium hydroxide are similar in appearance, the quality of the sample of hydrolith is not obvious visually.