Barium oxalate Barium oxalate Barium oxalate (BaCO), a barium salt of oxalic acid, is a white odorless powder that is sometimes used as a green pyrotechnic colorant generally in specialized pyrotechnic compositions containing magnesium. Though largely stable, barium oxalate can be reactive with strong acids. A mild skin irritant, the substance is considered toxic when ingested, causing nausea, vomiting, renal failure, and injury to the gastrointestinal tract. It is different from most pyrotechnic colorants in that it is a reducing agent and not an oxidizing agent. It is extremely insoluble in water and converts to the oxide form when heated. The raw
Barium acetate Barium acetate Barium acetate (Ba(CHO)) is the salt of barium(II) and acetic acid. Barium acetate is generally produced by the reaction of acetic acid with barium carbonate: The reaction is performed in solution and the barium acetate crystallizes out. Alternatively, barium sulfide can be used: Again, the solvent is evaporated off and the barium acetate crystallized. Barium acetate is a white powder, which is highly soluble: at 0 °C, 55.8 g of barium acetate can be dissolved in 100 g of water. It decomposes upon heating into barium carbonate. When heated in air, barium acetate decomposes to the carbonate. It