ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Calcium carbide

Okay kiddo, do you know what calcium is? It’s a mineral that helps keep your teeth and bones strong. Well, calcium carbide is a chemical compound made up of calcium and carbon.

What’s interesting about calcium carbide is when you mix it with water, it creates a gas called acetylene. Acetylene is a special kind of gas that can be used to make things like welding torches and light bulbs.

But wait, there’s more! Calcium carbide is also used to ripen fruit. Have you ever seen fruit turn from green to yellow or orange really quickly? That’s called “ripening,” and sometimes, companies use calcium carbide to make it happen faster. This is because the gas it creates can stimulate the fruit to ripen more quickly. But we should always be careful about eating fruit that has been treated with chemicals like calcium carbide, because it’s not good for our bodies.

So there you have it – calcium carbide is a chemical compound made up of calcium and carbon that can be used to make special gas and ripen fruit. But we should always be careful and make sure that we’re not putting anything harmful on our food!