Periodic Table of Elements

Element Barium - Ba

Comprehensive data on the chemical element Barium is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Barium. Common chemical compounds are also provided for many elements. In addition technical terms are linked to their definitions and the menu contains links to related articles that are a great aid in one's studies.

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Overview of Barium

Barium's Name in Other Languages

  • Latin: Baryum
  • Czech: Baryum
  • Croatian: Barij
  • French: Baryum
  • German: Barium - s
  • Italian: Bario
  • Norwegian: Barium
  • Portuguese: Bário
  • Russian: Барий
  • Spanish: Bario
  • Swedish: Barium

Atomic Structure of Barium

Chemical Properties of Barium

Physical Properties of Barium

Regulatory / Health

  • CAS Number
    • 7440-39-3
  • RTECS: CQ8370000
  • NFPA 704
    • Health: 2
    • Fire: 2
    • Reactivity:
    • Special Hazard:
  • OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
    • No limits set by NIOSH
  • Levels In Humans:
    Note: this data represents naturally occuring levels of elements in the typical human, it DOES NOT represent recommended daily allowances.
    • Blood/mg dm-3: 0.068
    • Bone/p.p.m: 3-70
    • Liver/p.p.m: 0.04-1.2
    • Muscle/p.p.m: 0.09
    • Daily Dietary Intake: 0.6-1.7 mg
    • Total Mass In Avg. 70kg human: 22 mg

Who / Where / When / How

  • Discoverer: Sir Humphrey Davy
  • Discovery Location: London England
  • Discovery Year: 1808
  • Name Origin:
    Greek: barys (heavy or dense).
  • Abundance of Barium:
    • Earth's Crust/p.p.m.: 500
    • Seawater/p.p.m.:
      • Atlantic Suface: 0.0047
      • Atlantic Deep: 0.0093
      • Pacific Surface: 0.0047
      • Pacific Deep: 0.02
    • Atmosphere/p.p.m.: N/A
    • Sun (Relative to H=1E12): 123
  • Sources of Barium:
    Found in barytine (BaSO4) and witherite (BaCO3),never found in pure form due to its reactivity. Total annual world production estimated around 6,000,000 tons. Main mining areas are UK, Italy, Czech Republic, USA and Germany. Total world reserves estimated to be around 450,000,000 tons.
  • Uses of Barium:
    Used in sparkplugs, vacuum tubes, fireworks, fluorescent lamps. Insoluble barium sulfate is used for body imaging.
  • Additional Notes:
    Must be stored under kerosene to remain pure. Soluble barium salts are highly toxic.

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References

A list of reference sources used to compile the data provided on our periodic table of elements can be found on the main periodic table page.

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