CaBr2

calcium bromide · calcium dibromide

Calcium bromide is a stable, insulating salt widely utilized as a high-density completion fluid in the petroleum industry.

BrCa
Crystal structure of CaBr2 (orthorhombic, Pnnm (No. 58))
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About calcium bromide

Calcium bromide is a thermodynamically stable inorganic salt that functions as a wide-band-gap insulator. Its robust structural profile is evidenced by its extensive representation across multiple crystallographic databases, reflecting its well-defined chemical nature.

This compound is primarily valued for its high solubility and density in aqueous solutions. These properties make it an essential component in heavy brines used for oil and gas well completion and workover operations, where it helps maintain pressure control.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for calcium bromide, aggregated across 3 databases.

Band Gap

4.45–4.53 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

58
3 databases, 14 space groups
Crystallography

Reported Structures

Lowest-energy structures reported for CaBr2, ranked by energy above hull.

Space GroupCrystal SystemBand Gap (eV)E above hull (eV/atom)E/atom (eV)Density (g/cm³)
Pnnm (No. 58)orthorhombic4.530.0000-4.1623.31
P42/mnm (No. 136)tetragonal4.450.0017-4.1603.27
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic4.11
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic6.43
I4/mmm (No. 139)Tetragonal3.48
Immm (No. 71)Orthorhombic4.22
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic6.20
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic2.78
P1 (No. 1)Triclinic3.49
C2/m (No. 12)Monoclinic4.80
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic3.09
P-1 (No. 2)Triclinic3.26
Uses

Applications

Where calcium bromide is used.

Oil and gas well completion fluidsWorkover fluidsChemical synthesisDehydration agent
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about calcium bromide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is CaBr2?

Calcium bromide is a stable, insulating salt widely utilized as a high-density completion fluid in the petroleum industry.

More questions
What is CaBr2 used for?
calcium bromide (CaBr2) is used in oil and gas well completion fluids, workover fluids, chemical synthesis, and dehydration agent.
What is the band gap of CaBr2?
calcium bromide (CaBr2) has a DFT-computed band gap of 4.45–4.53 eV across 58 reported structures.
Is CaBr2 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a wide band gap up to 4.53 eV it is an insulator / wide-band-gap material.
Is CaBr2 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — calcium bromide (CaBr2) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
What is the crystal structure of CaBr2?
The lowest-energy reported polymorph of calcium bromide (CaBr2) is orthorhombic symmetry, space group Pnnm (No. 58).
What is the density of CaBr2?
The computed density of the ground-state structure of calcium bromide (CaBr2) is 3.31 g/cm³.
How many polymorphs of CaBr2 are known?
58 structures of CaBr2 are reported across 3 databases, spanning 14 distinct space groups.
What elements does CaBr2 contain?
calcium bromide (CaBr2) contains Br and Ca (2 elements).
Where does the data for CaBr2 come from?
CaBr2 data is cross-referenced from materials_project, mpaloe, jarvis.
Comparison

How It Compares

As a stable alkaline earth halide, calcium bromide serves as a fundamental example of ionic salt behavior. It occupies a critical niche in industrial applications where high-density, non-corrosive, and thermally stable fluids are required for demanding subsurface environments.

Data sources & attribution
  • materials_project — Data from the Materials Project. Cite: Jain et al., APL Materials 1, 011002 (2013).
  • mpaloe — Data from mpaloe.
  • jarvis — Data from JARVIS (NIST). Cite: Choudhary et al., npj Comp. Mater. 6, 173 (2020).

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