Hydration of Cement - A brief information for beginners

Introduction

When water is added to cement, a chemical reaction occurs known as the hydration of cement.

• It is an exothermic reaction; heat evolved during it, known as heat of hydration.
• The product of this hydration of cement is Tobermorite Gel (`CaSO_{4}SiO_{2}H_{2}O`).
• It is called Tobermorite Gel due to its structural similarity to a naturally occurring mineral, Tobermorite.
• Commonly, it is referred to as C-S-H Gel.

Factors affecting the hydration of cement