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Barium Sulfate - BaSO4

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Brief Explanation of Barium Sulfate - BaSO4

It is an inorganic compound with the chemical name Barium Sulfate.

Barium Sulfate is made up of two components: a barium cation and the sulfate anion. The sulfur is attached to four oxygen atoms. BaSO4 is a sulfate salt of barium and it can be found in the form of mineral barite. It is a crystalline solid white which is insoluble in water and alcohol but soluble in concentrated acids. It is odourless.


Barium Sulfate is an alkaline, divalent metal. It is non-toxic and is safe for medical use. It is widely used in the production of oil and natural gas to get high-density drilling fluids by keeping the boreholes free of rock.


Chemistry is a subject that requires a deep understanding from the students for each of the topics. And hence even though you have gone through the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 in good fashion during your initial studies, you also have to go through the same later, especially during the period of your revision. Now, if during that time you find an explanation of the Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 which is difficult to understand, then it is not going to be useful to you at all. Instead, it may affect you negatively. Because it may make you feel that you do not have any previous knowledge of the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 at all.


Therefore, what is important for the students for the good understanding of the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4, and to clear all the doubts regarding the same is, an explanation written in a language which can easily be understood by the students, and at the same time it must cover all the topics of the Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 which are necessary for the students. Hence, Vedantu provides to all the students such an explanation for the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4. But there is one more thing to it as well, and that is, the explanation that Vedantu provides for the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 is completely free of cost and hence all the students of science can take advantage of it.


Properties of Barium Sulphate

Barium Sulphate Formula

BaSO4

Molecular Mass of Barium Sulphate

233.38g/mol

Density

4.5g/cm3

Melting Point

1580 oC

Soluble in

1600 oC

Classification

Sulphate


Physical Properties

Pure barium sulfate is found as a white, odorless powder or small crystals with a density of 4.49 g/mL, a melting point of 1580 °C and a boiling point of 1600 °C.


Chemical Properties

Barium sulfate is said to have extremely poor solubility in the universal solvent water. It is also insoluble in alcohols, and soluble in concentrated acids. It reacts violently with aluminum powder. Barium sulfate has numerous medical and radio imaging uses due to its water insolubility and radio-opaque properties.


Barium Sulphate Uses

  1. Barium sulfate is a contrast agent. Barium sulfate starts functioning by coating the inside of your oesophagus, stomach, or intestines which allows them to be seen more clearly on a CT scan or other radiologic (x-ray) examination.

  2. Barium sulfate is taken into use to help diagnose certain disorders of the oesophagus, stomach, or intestines.

  3. Barium sulfate may also be used for some other factors not listed in this medication guide. Drilling fluids

  4. About 80% of the world's barium sulfate production, mostly purified mineral, is consumed as a component of oil well drilling fluid. It increases the density of the fluid, increasing the hydrostatic pressure in the well and reducing the chance of a blowout.

  5. Radiocontrast agent

 

Barium Sulfate Suspension 

Barium sulfate in suspension is now and again utilized medicinally as a radiocontrast specialist for X-ray imaging and other indicative strategies. It is regularly utilized in imaging of the GI tract during what is casually known as a "barium meal". It is managed orally, or by bowel purge, as a suspension of fine particles in a thick milk-like arrangement (frequently with sweetening and seasoning agents added). Although barium is a heavy metal, and its water-solvent mixes are usually poisonous, the low dissolvability of barium sulfate shields the patient from engrossing destructive measures of the metal. Barium sulfate is likewise promptly expelled from the body, dissimilar to Thorotrast, which it replaced. Because of the high nuclear number (Z = 56) of barium, its compounds ingest X-rays more unequivocally than compounds derived from lighter nuclei. 


Shade 

Most manufactured barium sulfate is utilized as a part of white colour for paints. In oil paint, barium sulfate is practically transparent, and is utilized as a filler or to alter the consistency. One significant producer of artists' oil paint sells "perpetual white" that contains a blend of titanium white shade (TiO2) and barium sulfate. The blend of barium sulfate and zinc sulfide (ZnS) is the inorganic pigment called lithopone. In photography, it is utilized as a covering for certain photographic papers. 


Barium Sulfate Side Effects 

You should go for emergency medical assistance if you have indications of a hypersensitive response: hives; troublesome breathing; expanding of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.


Call your doctor at once if you have:

  1. severe stomach pain;

  2. severe cramping, diarrhoea, or constipation;

  3. ringing in your ears;

  4. sweating, confusion, fast heart rate; or

  5. pale skin, blue-coloured skin, weakness.

  6. mild stomach cramps

  7. nausea, vomiting; or

  8. loose stools or mild constipation. 

 

Barium Sulfate Formula

Barium sulfate is a significant inorganic chemical with several applications, including medical uses.


Structure and Formula of barium sulfate: The chemical formula of barium sulfate is BaSO4 and its molar mass is 233.43 g/mol. It is a salt made up of the barium cation (Ba2+) and the sulfate anion (SO42-), in which sulfur is joined to four oxygen atoms. The barium metal is present in the +2-oxidation state. The chemical structure of barium sulfate is shown as below: 


Occurrence: Barium sulfate occurs naturally as the mineral barite, which is widely found and can be considered as the major source of barium and other barium compounds.


Did you know?

  • Barium Sulphate is insoluble in water. If under certain conditions it was made to dissolve in the water the solution will be very toxic.

  • Barium Sulphate is commonly used to perform X-rays of the stomach and intestines.

  • It is also used extensively in paints and the making of glasses. 

  • Did you know what gives your fireworks green colour? It is the presence of Barium Nitrate that gives it a flashy green colour upon burst.


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For the students of science, there are many advantages to having the explanation of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 which is provided by Vedantu. A few of these advantages of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 are highlighted below:

  • Best Quality Educational Material: all the material that Vedantu provides is prepared by expert educators and hence Vedantu promises a guarantee over the quality of the material provided to the students. And by the quality, it means that all the points that students are required to know about the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 is included, in such a manner that all the students can easily understand it.

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Also, if you wish to learn about the formula of the Barium Sulphate then you may like to follow this link.

FAQs on Barium Sulfate - BaSO4

1. How do we prepare BaSO4?

Barium sulfate is found in commercial amounts from the mineral barite, after mining and processing. In order to manufacture an impure barite is to heat it using coke or also known as carbon in order to form the water-soluble barium sulfide (BaS), which is then separated from the filths and reacted with sulfuric acid to give the product of pure barium sulfate product:


BaSO4 + 4 C → BaS + 4 CO


BaS + H2SO4 → BaSO4 + H2S


A second method to obtain the pure form of barium sulfate is to initiate a reaction between barium carbonate or barium chloride with sulphuric acid.

2. Is Barium Sulphate soluble or insoluble in water?

Barium Sulphate is insoluble in water because it has high lattice enthalpy and its hydration enthalpy decreases more rapidly than lattice enthalpy on dissolving in water. And for a compound to be soluble its lattice enthalpy should be low-slung and it should decline more rapidly than hydration enthalpy. Now, as we know that Ba and SO4 are both big and bigger hence they will stabilize bigger anions meticulously.

3. Is the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 difficult to understand?

No, the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 is not difficult to understand at all. Because, since it is included in the syllabus, it means that it has the difficulty level which is suitable for the students of your class. And it is so because the syllabus and all the topics included in it, for each of the classes are prepared by taking the intellectual capacity of the students in mind. And hence, the topic of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 is not going to be difficult for you, well, but it does not mean that you may take it lightly either.

4. What is Barium Sulfate, in a simple language?

Barium Sulfate is an inorganic compound, and it has the chemical formula BaSO4. It is insoluble in water and an odorless crystalline solid of white color. The main commercial source of the Barium is highly impure mineral barite, which is also the source of the main materials that are prepared from it. Barite is processed by carbothermal reduction to produce Barium Sulfate. The white and opaque surfacing of it, as well as its high intensity, are mostly utilized in its main applications.

5. Why should I choose Vedantu for the explanation of Barium Sulfate – BaSO4?

you must choose Vedantu for the explanation of the Barium Sulfate – BaSO4 because Vedantu explains the said topic in an easy and accessible language. Also, Vedantu’s explanation includes the complete explanation of the Barium Sulfate – BaSO4, which is important for the students, that is to say, it includes the properties of Barium Sulphate, Physical Properties of Barium Sulfate, Chemical properties of it, as well as its uses. It also discusses the Suspension of Barium Sulfate, along with its side effects.