Barium+(Cam)

Background

Barium is a chemical element that is chemically similar to calcium, but is more reactive. A silvery soft metallic alkaline earth metal is never found in nature in its pure form, this is because the way it reacts to air. Because of its oxide, Baryta, or Barium hydroxide, it also reacts with water and carbon dioxide. Most common of naturally occurring minerals are barium sulfate, BaSO4 (Barite), barium carbonate. Also, BaCO3 (witherite). One of the rare gems, Benitoite, also contains barium.

Barium has many forms and is also used in many places such as medical centers and many industrial places. Some examples consist of: - Barium compounds, especially barite (BaSO4), are critical to the petroleum industry. It is used in drilling mud, and a weighting agent for drilling new oil wells. - In the rubber industry, Barite is used constantly when producing rubber. - Barium sulfate is used for conducting X-ray imaging for the digestive system. The barium acts as a radiocontrast agent so doctors can see the how a person digests foods and other things. Meals and enemas consisting of barium are used in this also.

Barium was found in 1774 by Carl Scheele and than was extracted in 1808 by Sir Humphry Davy. Barote, was what the oxide was first called, by Guyton de Morveau, and than was changed my Antoine Lavoisier to baryta. From then on, barium, was derived to describe the metal.

Health Impact

Though this element and all its forms play vital rolls in everyday life, some are also very poisonous. Barium compounds that are soluble in water or acid are extremely poisonous. Barium chloride is one of the most important water-soluble salts there is, but also very toxic as are other water-soluble barium salts. Some of the health hazards of Barium Chloride include:

Inhalation: - Causes irritation to the respiratory tracks and may also produce coughing and labored breathing.

Ingestion: - Highly toxic, may cause server gastroenteritis, including abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Tremors, faintness, paralysis or the arms and legs and slow or irregular heartbeat, may come a side effect as well. Server cases can produce collapse and death due to respiratory failure. Estimated lethal dose for humans: 1 gram.

Skin Contact: - May cause irritation along with redness and pain.

Chronic Exposure: - N/A Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions: - People with pre-existing skin disorders or impaired respiratory function may be prone to getting the full effects of the substance.

Created from barium hydroxide or barium carbonate these salts react with hydrochloric acid to obtain hydrated barium chloride. Its uses consist of: - Popular uses in laboratories when testing for sulfate ion. - Barium chloride is mainly used in the purification of brine solutions in chlorine plants, the manufacture of heat treatment salts, hardening steel, manufacturing pigments and also making other barium salts.

Although it has its toxic sides, barium chloride can be mixed with certain other chemicals to be used as safely in medical facilities and hospitals. When barium chloride is used with Hydrochloric Acid, it is used as a test for sulfates. When those two things are mixed with Sodium sulfate (The sodium in sodium chloride or salt) it creates Barium sulfate, a white crystalline solid that is poorly soluble in water and therefore is able to be ingested with water. Now that is safe to be ingested by humans, doctors use barium sulfate so they can monitor the digestive tracks of patients by using an X-ray machine. The barium sulfate is used as a radiocontrast agent so doctors can see how the digestive track functions. Even though barium is a heavy metal and its compounds that are water-soluble are highly toxic, the extremely low solubility of barium sulfate keeps the patient from absorbing harmful amounts of metal.

Environment Impact

Barium can be found in the environment, where it surprisingly abundant in the Earth’s crust. It is so abundant that it is the 14th most abundant element. The only way that high amounts of barium can be found is in the soils of food, seaweed, fish and certain plants. Extensive use of barium in the environment due to the human activity inside of industries has added a great release of barium in the environment. In mining process, barium is released into the air, it can also enter due to coal and oil combustion.

Some of the barium compounds that are released because industrial processes tend to dissolve easily in bodies of water such as lakes, rivers and streams, because of its poor water solubility. Barium compounds can travel over large distances because of this. Fish and other aquatic organisms absorb the barium and is gets stored in their bodies. It would be highly toxic if not to the fact that it mixes with other common compounds such as carbonate and sulfate, it becomes immobile and holds low risk. Barium is found in many land soils at low levels, but they can be higher at hazardous waste sights.

Production/Synthesis and Economic/Political Sections

Barium is a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal and is never found in it's purest form in nature. Being half the density of iron, barium is very light. It oxidizes in air and when mixed water, reacts vigorously to form hydroxide. When reacting with almost any non-metals, it forms poisoning compounds.

Barium is mixed into many compounds, the most important being: barium peroxide, barium chloride, sulfate, carbonate, nitrate and chlorate.

Examples of different chemical reactions:

Barium Chloride reacting with sulfate ion to create a thick white precipitate of barium sulfate: BaCl2(aq) + SO42- → BaSO4(s) + 2 Cl-(aq)

Barium oxide created by being burning barium in oxygen: 2Ba + O2 → 2BaO BaCO3 → BaO + CO2

Barium oxide being changed into barium hydroxide when mixed with water: BaO + H2O → Ba(OH)2

Common products that contain some of the compounds listed above:

Barium Carbonate: Used in making rat poison and also in bricks. Barium Oxide: Used when making the coating for the electrodes in fluorescent lamps. Barium Carbonate: Used in glassmaking. Barium Titanate: Proposed as a new generation of battery for electric cars.

Barium is a useful element that is used in many places around the world. While it does have its hazardous forms, when mixed with other compounds, it is relatively harmless. Barium salts can be poisonous, but some are not and have medical benefits because they are soluble in water. If this product were to be banned, we would probably have the same products, but would have to used different things in its place. Hospitals wouldn't be able to use it with people to check their digestive systems and that person might have a serious problem. People may not be able to have their root canals filled because barium sulfate is used in the filling. It is also used as a filler in plastics, and plastic is an important thing in everyday life. There isn't really anything hugely political with Barium and it is not banned in any countries.

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