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
Sodium chlorate Sodium chlorate Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaClO. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 300 °C to release oxygen and leave sodium chloride. Several hundred million tons are produced annually, mainly for applications in bleaching paper. Industrially, sodium chlorate is produced by the electrolysis of a hot sodium chloride solution: This reaction progresses in heat (at least 70 degrees Celsius), and controlled pH. In lower temperature or with high pH another reaction progresses: 2 NaCl + HO → NaClO + NaCl + H