Barium Facts
Barium Facts
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| Interesting Barium Facts: |
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| Sir Humphry Davy discovered barium in 1808. |
| Its name comes from the Greek word meaning "heavy." |
| Ancient alchemists experimented with barium minerals. |
| Barium in barite mineral form was part of ancient witchcraft or folklore because the stones would glow after exposure to light. |
| Barium readily oxidizes in air to produce a dark gray coating. |
| It reacts exothermically with water to release hydrogen gas. |
| Barium was identified as an element in barite by Carl Scheele in 1774, but he could not isolate it. |
| Barium makes up about 0.0425% of the Earth's crust. |
| It is found on the oceans at around thirteen micrograms per liter. |
| Barium has six stable isotopes. |
| One radioactive isotope, Ba-130, has such a long half-life that it was only recently discovered through geochemical methods to be radioactive. |
| Its half-life is longer than the age of the Universe by as much as one thousand times. |
| Most of barium's remaining thirty-three known radioactive isotopes have half-lives ranging from several minutes down to only a few milliseconds. |
| One isotope, Ba-112, is the heaviest discovered atom to have the same numbers of protons and neutrons. |
| In the late nineteenth century, barium's key commercial use was in the production of pure oxygen. |
| Barium also plays a key role in radiological reactants, helping internal organs show up on X-ray. |
| The fluorescent blue mineral benitoite contains barium and is the official gemstone of California. |
| While barium does not build up in the body and is not a carcinogen, breathing its dust can damage the lungs. |
| Some compounds of barium are actually toxic and used as industrial poisons. |
| Barium is used in the production of vacuum tubes, especially for televisions, by removing noble gases due to its low vapor pressure. |
| It is commonly alloyed with other metals, such as aluminum, tin, lead, and nickel. |
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