He Barium chloride Is a chemical compound of formula BaCl 2 Which exists in anhydrous and dihydrated form (BaCl2 · 2H2O).
It consists of colorless crystals that are soluble in water, used in heat treatment baths and in laboratories as chemical reagent to precipitate soluble sulfates (Hanusa, 2017).
Figure 1: structure of barium chloride
It is one of the most water soluble barium salts. Like other barium salts, it is toxic and imparts a yellow-green coloration to a flame. It is also hygroscopic.
There are several methods of production of barium chloride, one of them is by the action of hydrochloric acid in barium carbonate:
2HCl + BaCO 3 → BaCl 2 + CO 2 + H 2 OR
Another method of producing barium chloride is by heating a mixture of barium sulfate, carbon and barium chloride.
BaSO 4 (S) + 4C (s) → BaS (s) + 4CO (g)
BaS (s) + CaCl 2 → BaCl 2 + CaS
Physical and chemical properties
Barium chloride are crystals, orthorhombic in their anhydrous and monoclinic form in their dihydrated form, white without a characteristic aroma (National Center for Biotechnology Information., 2005). Their appearance is shown in figure 2.
Figure 2: appearance of barium chloride
The compound has a molecular weight of 208.23 g / mol for its anhydrous form and 244.26 for its dihydrate form.
It has a density of 3.856 g / ml for the anhydrous form and 3.098 g / ml for the dihydrate form. Its melting and boiling point is 963 ° C and 1560 ° C respectively.
Barium chloride is very soluble in water, whereby 35.8 grams of compound can be dissolved in 100 ml of solvent (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015).
Neighborhood chloride may react violently with BrF 3 And 2-Furan percarboxylic acid in its anhydrous form (CAMEO, 2016).
Reactivity and hazards
Barium chloride is extremely poisonous and toxic. Ingestion causes damage to the organs. Barium chloride blocks potassium channels since it is an agent that inhibits cell membrane glycoproteins that are selectively permeable to potassium ions.
It also causes serious eye damage. It is not flammable and does not react with other chemicals (The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 2015).
In case of contact with eyes, check for wearing contact lenses and remove them immediately. Flush eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping eyelids open. Cold water can be used. Eye ointment should not be used.
If the chemical comes into contact with clothing, remove it as quickly as possible, protecting your own hands and body.
Place the victim under a safety shower. If the chemical accumulates on the victim's exposed skin, such as the hands, gently and thoroughly wash contaminated skin with running water and non-abrasive soap.
Cold water can be used. If irritation persists, seek medical attention. Wash the contaminated clothing before using it again.
If contact with the skin is severe, it should be washed with a disinfectant soap and cover the skin contaminated with an anti-bacterial cream.
In case of inhalation, the victim should be allowed to stand in a well-ventilated area. If the inhalation is severe, the victim should be evacuated to a safe area as soon as possible.
Loosen tight clothing such as a shirt collar, belts, or tie. If it is difficult for the victim to breathe, oxygen should be administered. If the victim is not breathing, a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is performed.
Always taking into account that it can be dangerous for the person providing help give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when the inhaled material is toxic, infectious or corrosive.
If swallowed, induce vomiting only if victim is conscious. Loose clothing such as shirt collars, belts or ties should be loosened. If the victim is not breathing, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
In all cases seek immediate medical attention.
Barium chloride is a substance harmful to the environment, especially for aquatic species and should be handled and disposed of in accordance with the established standards and regulations (Material Safety Data Sheet Barium chloride dihydrate, 2013).
Applications
Barium chloride dihydrate is used in the treatment of wastewater, the production of PVC stabilizers, oil lubricants, barium chromate and barium fluoride.
As a cheap and soluble neighborhood salt, barium chloride finds widespread application in the laboratory. It is commonly used as a test for sulfate ion.
In the industry, barium chloride is mainly used in the purification of the brine solution in caustic chlorine plants and also in the manufacture of heat treatment salts, steel hardening, pigment manufacturing and in the manufacture of other salts of barium.
It is also used in fireworks to give a bright green color. However, its toxicity limits its applicability (Solvay, S.F.).
Barium chloride was previously used in medicine in the treatment of complete heart block. The usual dose was 30 mg three or four times a day or about 1.7 mg / kg / day.
Drug use was abandoned, largely because of its toxicity. Formerly used for symptomatic therapy of Stokes-Adams attacks. Now this treatment is obsolete. The radioactive compound is used as an experimental bone scanning agent.
In veterinary medicine, barium chloride has been used in the treatment of horse impaction. Intravenous injection of 0.5 g produces a drastic purge. Its use is not recommended because of a great danger of producing fatal heart block (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2012).
References
- (2016). BARIUM CHLORIDE . Taken from cameochemicals: cameochemicals.noaa.gov.
- EMBL-EBI. (2015, June 24). Barium chloride . Taken from ChEBI: ebi.ac.uk.
- Hanusa, T. P. (2017, February 22). Barium (Ba) . Taken from britannica: britannica.com.
- Material Safety Data Sheet Barium chloride dihydrate . (2013, May 21). Taken from sciencelab: sciencelab.com.
- National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2005, March 26). PubChem Compound Database; CID = 25204 . Taken from PubChem: pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Royal Society of Chemistry. (2015). Barium chloride . Taken from chemspider: chemspider.com.
- (S.F.). Barium Chloride . Taken from solvay: solvay.com.
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). (2015, July 22). BARIUM CHLORIDE . Taken from cdc.gov: cdc.gov.
- S. National Library of Medicine. (2012, May 3). BARIUM CHLORIDE . Taken from toxnet: toxnet.nlm.nih.gov.