Barium Facts: Amazing Things About This Alkaline Metal
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Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56.
It is a soft, silvery-white alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature as a free element, but it is found combined in minerals such as barite.
It is the fifth element in group two of the periodic table, known as the alkaline earth metals. The barium's melting point and boiling point are 1000 K (727 °C) and 2143 K (1870 °C), respectively.
Barium is a very reactive element. Barium is never found in nature as a free element; it reacts violently with water and air on contact. The most common naturally occurring barium minerals are barite (barium sulfate) and witherite (barium carbonate), both insoluble in water.
Barium has numerous applications. Historically, it was used as a rat poison and in fireworks because of its luminescent properties.
Today, barium oxide is used to make certain types of glass, while other barium compounds find use as rat poison, x-ray contrast agents, and in the production of brick. Barium is a heavy metal and, as such, is both toxic and radioactive.
Exposure to barium can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. In large doses, barium can be fatal.
Because barium is found in foods including carrots, lettuce, beans, onions, and cereal grains, the average adult has roughly 22 mg. The amount of barium in your teeth can actually assist scientists in figuring out when newborns are ready to stop nursing and start eating solid foods.
These trace amounts of barium have no biological significance and are not toxic.
According to John Emsley's book 'The Elements of Murder: A History of Poison,' excessive amounts of soluble barium salts can be poisonous and even fatal (Oxford University Press, 2005). Vomiting, colic, tremors, diarrhea, and paralysis are all side effects of barium.
Barium can be used to make a variety of alloys; however, it is most usually employed as an alloy or a compound. Barium alloys containing nickel are often employed in spark plugs, and pure barium or barium-aluminum alloys are used to eliminate oxygen from vacuum tubes.
As high-grade steel deoxidizers, barium alloyed with manganese, calcium, silicon, or aluminum can be employed.
Discovery And History
Barium has a long and interesting history, dating back to ancient times. The Babylonians first discovered the metal in around 2000 BC and used it to make lamps and other objects. Barium is derived from the Arabic word 'barak,' meaning 'white.'
The Greeks were also familiar with barium, and they used it to produce a type of paint used for wall decorations. Barium oxide was also known to them, and they used it as a flux in glassmaking. The Romans likewise knew about barium and its uses, including ceramics production.
According to the Royal Society of Chemistry, barium was initially discovered in the form of peculiar stones that sparkled for years after being exposed to fire by Vincenzo Casciarolo, an Italian alchemist in the 17th century. These pebbles were originally dubbed 'Bologna stones,' but they were eventually discovered to be barium sulfate (BaSO4).
Barium sulfate is highly insoluble and is reduced by carbon to make barium sulfide.
Chemical Properties
Chemically, barium behaves most similarly to magnesium and strontium. It has two stable isotopes: 137Ba and 138Ba. Barium oxide (BaO) is a white solid that reacts vigorously with water to form barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)²) and hydrogen gas. It is used as a chemical reagent. It can produce alloys by using metal which is partially chemical compounds and partially alloys.
In addition, barium sulfate (BaSO₄) is a common mineral used in the manufacture of paints and plastics. It is also used as a weighting agent in oil drilling fluids and an X-ray contrast medium. Barium carbonate (BaCO₃) can be prepared by reacting Ba(OH)² with CO₂:
Some other chemical properties are Oxidation states: +1, +2, Electronegativity: 0.89, Heat of Vaporization: 140 kJ/mol, Specific Heat: 205 J/(kg K), Heat of Fusion: 8 kJ/mol, and Electron Configuration: [Xe]6s2.
Applications In Life And Lab
Barium is a soft, silvery metal found in the Earth's crust. It is a member of the alkaline earth metals, and its atomic number is 56 and is in group two of the periodic table. Barium has many uses, including:
Barium sulfate is used as a contrast agent for X-rays.
Barium carbonate is used in rat poison.
It is used to make vacuum tubes.
Barium chloride is used in fireworks to create green flames.
Barium nitrate is used in making fertilizers and explosives.
Material Properties
Pure barium is a soft, silvery-white metal that reacts with air to form white fumes of barium oxide. The metal is found in the minerals baryte and witherite, and it is also obtained from the mineral baryte. Material Properties of Barium make it an essential material in many industries today.
Barium oxide is used in ceramic glazes and enamels. Barite, a mineral containing barium, is used as a weighting agent in drilling fluids. When barite absorbs X-rays, it becomes fluorescent and is used in medical diagnostics. Barium is a beneficial element with many applications!
Other material properties are Melting Point: 1000 K (727 °C), Boiling Point: 2143 K (1870 °C), and Density: 3.51 g/cm3.
Occurrence
The occurrence of barium in the Earth's crust is about 0.0000001%. Even though the occurrence of barium is very low, it still has many important uses!
Barium compounds are also used in making fireworks. When burned, they produce a green color, which is why barium is sometimes called 'green gold.'
Barium is also used in making certain types of glass and ceramic. And, because it is so dense, barium is often used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in the petroleum industry. These fluids help keep drill bits cool and lubricated as they drill through the rock.
FAQs
Q: What is an interesting fact about barium?
A: It produces green color when you burn it.
Q: What are three uses for barium?
A: Fireworks, explosives, and fertilizers.
Q: What is barium used for in everyday life?
A: It is used to make lamps which people use every day.
Q: Where is barium found?
A: It is most commonly found in mineral barite (BaSO4) and witherite (BaCO3).
Q: Is barium toxic to humans?
A: Yes.
Q: What foods contain barium?
A: Carrots, lettuce, beans, onions, and cereal grains.
Q: How is barium removed from the body?
A: The easiest way is to drink lots and lots of fluid to excrete it out of the body within two weeks.
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Sources
https://www.chemistrylearner.com/barium.html
https://chemistrytalk.org/the-brilliant-element-barium/
https://www.industrialheating.com/blogs/14-industrial-heating-experts-speak-blog/post/94708-facts-about-the-elements-barium
https://chemistrydictionary.org/barium/
https://www.livescience.com/37581-barium.html
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