Barium Hydroxide

barium hydroxide

[′bar·ē·əm hī′dräk‚sīd]

(inorganic chemistry)

Ba(OH)₂·8H₂O Colorless, monoclinic crystals, melting at 78°C; soluble in water, insoluble in acetone; used for fat saponification and fusing of silicates.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Barium Hydroxide

 

caustic baryta, Ba(OH)₂, a base (alkali). Under ordinary conditions it exists in the form Ba(OH)₂-8H₂0—colorless crystals with a density of 2.18 g/cm³. At 78° C it melts in its own water of crystallization. It is readily soluble in water (3.5g BaO in 100 g H₂0 at 20° C). The aqueous solution has a strongly alkaline reaction. The saturated aqueous solution of barium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures is called baryta water; upon contact of this solution with air, it absorbs CO₂ and becomes turbid owing to the precipitation of barium carbonate. Barium hydroxide is a sensitive reagent for carbonate and sulfate ions. It initiates polymerization reactions and is also used in the production of sugar.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.