Calcium gluconate monohydrate is a member of a new class of base-catalysed intumescent compounds. It forms low-density closed-cell carbonaceous foam when exposed to heat. The volume expansion can be as high as two hundred times the original volume. At temperatures above 750degreesC this foam is transformed into a porous, yet cohesive, structure based on calcium oxide. The latter has only a slightly higher density and shows significant flame-resistance. (C) 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers.