LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Barium: Water
built 185 days ago
Barium is a metallic element that is chemically similar to calcium but more reactive. This metal oxidizes very easily when exposed to air and is highly reactive with water or alcohol, producing hydrogen gas. Burning in air or oxygen produces not just barium oxide (BaO) but ... the peroxide. Simple compounds of this heavy element are notable for their high specific gravity. This is true of the most common barium-bearing mineral, its sulfate barite BaSO4, also called 'heavy spar' due to the high density (4.5 g/cm³).
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Barium is an active metal. It combines easily with oxygen, the halogens, and other non-metals. The halogens are Group 17 (VIIA) of the periodic table and include fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. Barium ... reacts with water and with most acids. It is so reactive that it must be stored under kerosene, petroleum, or some other oily liquid to prevent
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Barium forms several other useful compounds. Barium nitrate (Ba(NO3)2) burns with a bright green color and is used in signal flares and fireworks. Barium chloride (BaCl) is used as a water softener. Barium oxide (BaO) easily absorbs moisture and is used as a desiccant. Barium peroxide (BaO2) forms hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) when it is mixed with water and is used as a bleaching agent that activates when wet. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is used as a dielectric material in capacitors.
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Barium has been found to potentially cause gastrointestinal disturbances and muscular weakness when people are exposed to it at levels above the EPA drinking water standards for relatively short periods of time. Some people who eat or drink amounts of barium above background levels found in food and water for a short period may experience vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, difficulties in breathing, increased or decreased blood pressure, numbness around the face, and muscle weakness. Eating or drinking very large amounts of barium compounds that easily dissolve can cause changes in heart rhythm or paralysis and possibly death. Animals that drank barium over long periods had damage to the kidneys, decreases in body weight, and some died.
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Barium was first isolated by Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist, in 1808 through the electrolysis of molten baryta (BaO). Barium is never found free in nature since it reacts with oxygen in the air, forming barium oxide (BaO), and with water, forming barium hydroxide (Ba(OH)2) and hydrogen gas (H2). Barium is most commonly found as the mineral barite (BaSO4) and witherite (BaCO3) and is primarily produced through the electrolysis of barium chloride (BaCl2).
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Barium is surprisingly abundant in the Earth's crust, and is the 14th most abundant element. High amounts of barium are only found in soils and in food, such as nuts, seaweed, fish and plants. Because of the extensive use of barium in industry, it is commonly released into the environment. As a result, barium concentrations in the air, water and soil are higher than naturally occurring concentrations.
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