Barium green color. Barium sulfate is used as an insoluble additive to oil well drilling fluid, as well as in a purer form, as X-ray radiocontrast agents for imaging the human gastrointestinal tract. The soluble barium ion and soluble compounds are poisonous, and have been used as rodenticides. Barium is a soft, silvery-white metal, with a slight golden shade when ultrapure. The silvery-white color of barium metal rapidly vanishes upon oxidation in air yielding a dark gray oxide layer. Barium has a medium specific weight and good electrical conductivity. Ultrapure barium is very difficult to prepare, and therefore many properties of
Barium perchlorate employing gases under pressure, as the water must be removed from the air prior to the reaction taking place. Barium perchlorate is also used for the determination of small concentrations (down to 10 ppm, with an accuracy of +/- 1 ppm) of sulfate. In order for the titration to be successful, a high concentration of a nonaqueous solvent, such as ethyl alcohol, 2-propanol, or methanol, must be present. Thorin is typically used as the indicator. Barium perchlorate Barium perchlorate is a powerful oxidizing agent, with the formula Ba(ClO). It is used in the pyrotechnic industry. Barium perchlorate decomposes at 505