Barium

            The picture above shows the result of adding different metal salts to a burning reaction mixture of potassium chlorate and sucrose. The red color originates from strontium sulfate. The orange/yellow color originates from sodium chloride. The green color originates from barium chlorate. The blue color originates from copper (I) chloride. The lilac color that should be evident from the potassium chlorate is washed out by the other colors, all of which are more intense.

Background:                                                   

    Description   

    History

Physical Properties:

    Density

    Melting Point

    Boiling Point                                                                                                           

Electronic Properties

    Electronegativity

    Ground State Electron Configuration

Barium Compounds

    Common Oxidation States

Crystallography

    Crystal Structure

Nuclear Properties

    Naturally Occurring Isotopes

Applications

   Medical

     Industrial

   Miscellaneous

Purchasing Information

    Source

    Price Per Gram

(Dr. Bean)

                       Background                     

Description:

Name: Barium
Symbol: Ba
Atomic Number: 56
Atomic Mass: 137.327 amu                                                       

Atomic Structure:

History:

   Date of Discovery: 1808
   Discoverer: Sir Humphrey Davy
   Name Origin: From the Greek word barys (heavy)

Physical Properties

 Barium is a metallic element, soft, and when pure is silvery white like lead.  The metal oxidizes very easily and it reacts with water or alcohol.  Barium is one of the alkaline-earth metals.

Standard State: solid at 298 K

Color: silvery white

Density @ 293 K: 3.51 g/cm³  

Melting Point: 725.0 °C (998.15 °K, 1337.0 °F)                         

Boiling Point: 1140.0 °C (1413.15 °K, 2084.0 °F)

Electronic Properties

    Electronegativity:  .89 (Pauling)

    Ground State Electron Configuration:

• Ground State Electron Configuration:  [Xe].6s²
• Shell Structure:  2.8.18.18.8.2

Barium Compounds

Common Oxidation State: +2

Crystallography

Crystal Structure:  body-centered cubic

Nuclear Properties

Naturally Occurring Isotopes:

Half-life of Isotopes:

Uses

I. Medical Applications: X-Ray Diagnostic Work       

        Example: Barium Enema         

        The test is used to detect colon cancer. The barium enema may also be used to diagnose and evaluate the extent of inflammatory bowel diseases.

    This test may be done in an office or a hospital radiology department. You lie on the X-ray table and a preliminary X-ray is taken. You are asked to lie on the side while a well lubricated enema tube is inserted gently into your rectum. The barium, a radiopaque (shows up on X-ray) contrast medium, is then allowed to flow into the colon. A small balloon at the tip of the enema tube may be inflated to help keep the barium inside. The flow of the barium is monitored by the health care provider on an X-ray fluoroscope screen (like a TV monitor). A barium enema, or lower gastrointestinal (GI) series, uses x-rays to diagnose problems in the large intestine, which includes the colon and rectum. The lower GI series may show problems like abnormal growths, ulcers, polyps, and diverticuli.

II.  Industrial Applications:

        a.   Glass Making

       b.  Barite is extensively used as a weighting agent in oil well drilling fluids.

       c.  Barite is also used in making rubber

III.  Miscellaneous:

       a.  The carbonate is a rat poison

        b.   The nitrate and chlorate give green colors in pyrotechnics

Barium salts impart green colors to flames. The picture above shows the color arising from adding barium chlorate (BaClO₃) to a burning mixture.

Purchasing Information

Source:

Barium metal is available commercially and there is normally no need to make it in the laboratory. Commercially, it is made on small scale by the electrolysis of molten barium chloride, BaCl₂.

cathode: Ba²⁺(l) + 2e^- Ba anode: Cl^-(l) ¹/₂Cl₂ (g) + e^-

Barium metal can also be islated from the reduction of barium oxide, BaO, with aluminium.

6BaO + 2Al 3Ba + Ba₃Al₂O₆

Price Per Gram:  $17.18  (Aldrich Chemicals packages barium under argon in ampules)

                                                   I just love chemistry!!!