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When limestone (calcium carbonate) is heated to a high temperature or calcined for several hours the resultant product is quicklime. (The correct technical name is calcium oxide):

CaCO₃ --------------------------> CaO + CO₂

Limestone Heat Quicklime Carbon dioxide
Chalk (around 850⁰ C)
Marble

The calcination process was traditionally undertaken in small mixed feed kilns and examples of the remains of these may still be seen around the world.

Quick lime is an unstable and slightly hazardous product and therefore is normally ‘hydrated’ or ‘slaked’, by adding water, becoming not only more stable but also easier and safer to handle.

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