Facts about Barium

Barium carbonate reacts with various acids to form soluble barium salts.

Barium (from the Greek word barys, meaning "heavy") was first identified in 1774 by Carl Scheele and extracted in 1808 by Sir Humphry Davy in England.

Upon burning in air or oxygen, it produces not just barium oxide (BaO) but also barium peroxide.

The compounds of barium, particularly the water-soluble ones, are toxic.

Barium ions (Ba2+) migrate to the cathode, where they gain electrons (e?) and are converted to metallic barium.

Naturally occurring barium is a mix of seven stable isotopes.

Barium chloride (BaCl2) is a highly toxic, ionic, water-soluble salt of barium.

Barium is chemically similar to calcium but is more reactive.

Barium oxide is used for coating cathodes in fluorescent lamps, and the hydroxide, a chemical base, is used to clean up acid spills.

Barium and its compounds have a variety of applications.

Barium sulfate is useful for X-ray diagnostics of the digestive system and as a weighting agent in drilling oil wells.

Barium carbonate is used in rat poisons and in the manufacture of glass, porcelain, bricks, and cement.

To store barium in its pure form, protecting it from oxidation by the air, it should be kept under a petroleum-based fluid (such as kerosene) or other suitable oxygen-free liquid that excludes air.

The salts of barium (particularly its nitrate, chloride, and chlorate) may be used in fireworks to produce green colors.

Barium hydroxide, also known as baryta, is a strong, corrosive chemical base.

Barium sulfate (or barium sulphate) is a white crystalline solid with the formula BaSO4.

Barium is chemically similar to calcium but is more reactive.

The reaction with sulfuric acid, however, is poor, because barium sulfate is highly insoluble.

At low doses, barium acts as a muscle stimulant, while higher doses affect the nervous system, causing cardiac irregularities, tremors, weakness, anxiety, dyspnea, and paralysis.

Barium is commercially produced through the electrolysis of molten barium chloride (BaCl2).

Antoine Lavoisier changed the name to baryta, from which "barium" was derived to describe the metal.

The most common naturally occurring minerals of barium are barite (barium sulfate, BaSO4) and witherite (barium carbonate, BaCO3).

Barium (chemical symbol Ba, atomic number 56) is a soft, silvery chemical element classified as an alkaline earth metal.

Some of the important compounds of barium are noted below.

Barium dust, if inhaled, can accumulate in the lungs, leading to a condition called baritosis.

Barium sulfate can be used in medicine only because it does not dissolve and is eliminated completely from the digestive tract.