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
Silver chlorate Silver chlorate Silver chlorate (AgClO) forms white, tetragonal crystals. Like all chlorates, it is water-soluble and an oxidizing agent. As a simple metal salt, it is a common chemical in basic inorganic chemistry experiments. It is light-sensitive, so it must be stored in tightly closed dark-coloured containers. The substance exhibits blasting properties, therefore it is sometimes used as a primary explosive. Silver(I) means silver is in its normal +1 oxidation state. Silver chlorate is produced by the reaction of silver nitrate with sodium chlorate to produce both silver chlorate and sodium nitrate. Alternatively, it may be produced by the transmission