As a metal or alloyed with aluminum, it serves as a “flashed getter” in vacuum tubes to combine with and remove residual oxygen or moisture it can also increase the creep resistance of lead-tin alloys and enhance the structure of aluminum-silicon alloys. Additionally, soluble barium compounds are all considered extremely poisonous due to the toxicity of the Ba2+ ion and must be handled with care.īarium has many different forms with commercially useful properties. Because of its flammability, barium is packaged under mineral oil as a safety precaution. The element is extremely electropositive and highly reactive contact with water and alcohols causes an explosive exothermic reaction, and reactions with nonmetals such as carbon and nitrogen cause similarly exothermic reactions when heated. Natural barium is a mix of 7 different isotopes and can be produced by either electrolysis of barium chloride or the reduction of barium oxide with elemental aluminum.Ĭhemically similar to calcium, barium is a shiny silver metal that turns gray as its surface oxidizes in contact with air. The element is also found in witherite ( barium carbonate) to a lesser extent and in the fluorescent blue gemstone benitoite (barium titanium silicate), the official state gemstone of California.
Ba element free#
Barium does not occur free in nature due to its high reactivity it is mostly present as barium sulfate in the mineral berite (also known as barytes or heavy spar), its main commercial source. Barium’s name is derived from the alchemical term for barium sulfate "baryta," which in turn is based on the Greek term barys meaning "heavy" or "dense." Sir Humphrey Davey bestowed the name upon his discovery of the element in 1808 via the electrolysis of molten barium salts, the same technique he used to isolate the other alkali metals. The element first gained attention in the early 17th century in Bologna, Italy, when rocks composed of barium sulfate drew alchemists due to their unique ability to emit a phosphorescent red glow for years after being burnt and exposed to sunlight. Similarly to the adjacent element cesium within its family of the alkali metals, barium is the heaviest and most reactive of the stable elements in its family, the alkaline earths. American Elements: The Materials Science Company™ | Certified bulk & lab quantity manufacturer of metals, chemicals, nanoparticles & other advanced materials
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