Barium nitrate Barium nitrate Barium nitrate is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ba(NO). It, like most barium salts, is colorless, toxic, and water-soluble. It burns with a green flame and is an oxidizer; the compound is commonly used in pyrotechnics. Barium nitrate is manufactured by two processes that start with the main source material for barium, the carbonate. The first involves dissolving barium carbonate in nitric acid, allowing any iron impurities to precipitate, then filtered, evaporated, and crystallized. The second requires combining barium sulfide with nitric acid. It occurs naturally as the very rare mineral "nitrobarite". At elevated temperatures, barium
Barium sulfate from barite, which is often highly impure. Barite is processed by carbothermal reduction (heating with coke) to give barium sulfide: In contrast to barium sulfate, barium sulfide is soluble in water and readily converted to the oxide, carbonate, and halides. To produce highly pure barium sulfate, the sulfide or chloride is treated with sulfuric acid or sulfate salts: Barium sulfate produced in this way is often called "blanc fixe", which is French for "permanent white." Blanc fixe is the form of barium encountered in consumer products, such as paints. In the laboratory barium sulfate is generated by combining solutions of