Barium chloride (BaCl₂) is a salt of barium and chlorine. It is ionic and water-soluble. It is toxic like other barium salts. It imparts a yellow-green coloration to a flame.

Chemical properties

Since barium chloride is soluble in water, it can react with sulfate ion to produce a thick white precipitate of barium sulfate.

BaCl₂(aq) + SO₄^2-(aq) → BaSO₄(s) + 2 Cl^-(aq)

Barium chloride behaves as a simple salt, and it is completely neutral in solution.

Preparation

Barium chloride may be prepared from barium hydroxide or barium carbonate (found naturally as witherite) reacting with hydrochloric acid. On an industrial scale, it can be prepared via a two step process from barite (barium sulfate)^[4]:

BaSO₄ + 4 C → BaS + 4 CO (done with heat)

BaS + CaCl₂ → BaCl₂ + CaS (done by fusion of the mixture)

The BaCl₂ can then be leached out from the mixture with water.

Uses

As a cheap, soluble salt of barium, barium chloride finds wide application in the laboratory. Most commonly it is used as a test for sulfate ion (see chemical properties above). It can be used to prepare other insoluble salts such as the oxalate by precipitation:

BaCl₂(aq) + Na₂C₂O₄ (aq) → Ba₂C₂O₄ (s) + 2 NaCl(aq)

Precautions

Highly toxic- 0.8-0.9g is fatal.

Suppliers/Manufacturers

Fisher: https://www1.fishersci.com/index.jsp VWR: http://www.vwr.com/index.htm Strem: http://www.strem.com/code/index.ghc Alfa: http://www.alfa.com/alf/index.htm Aldrich: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com

References

1. N. N. Greenwood, A. Earnshaw, Chemistry of the Elements, Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK, 1984.
2. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 71st edition, CRC Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1990.
3. The Merck Index, 7th edition, Merck & Co., Rahway, New Jersey, 1960.
4. H. Nechamkin, The Chemistry of the Element, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1968.