Barium Sulphate : A Brief Account On Its Versatile Properties & Uses

Natural barium sulphate (BaSO4) is a barium salt of sulfuric acid

. It is found as crystals in nature with high density and thus it is also referred to as Barite (heavy spar). These crystals can be white, red, brown depending on the minerals found around it as it is often present in association with Sandstone and Hematite. Barite mineral is essentially formed through evaporation and geothermal deposition along with number of other formative processes.

Barium sulfate is frequently used clinically as a radiocontrast agent for X-ray imaging and other diagnostic procedures. It is most often used in imaging of the GI tract during what is colloquially known as a 'barium meal'. It is administered, orally or by enema, as a suspension of fine particles in an aqueous solution (often with sweetening agents added). Although barium is a heavy metal, and its water-soluble compounds are often highly toxic, the low solubility of barium sulfate protects the patient from absorbing harmful amounts of the metal. Barium sulfate is also readily removed from the body, unlike Thorotrast, which it replaced. Due to the relatively high atomic number (Z = 56) of barium, its compounds absorb X-rays more strongly than compounds derived from lighter nuclei.

Also known as Baryte, natural deposits of BaSO4 are found world wide. Barytes usually have no taste or odour and generally regarded as non-hazardous.

Practically, barium sulfate is insoluble in water, acids and bases. Its compounds are even opaque to X-rays and are non-toxic. And hence because of these properties, its suspension in water is used for medical purposes. This suspension is often given to patients undergoing medical imaging procedures of stomach and intestine. Though in few cases, this might lead to cramping or constipation and so it is advised to consume lot of water after the tests to minimize any side effects.

For applications that require pure white colour, barium sulfate is incurred by precipitation method as blanc-fixe (permanent white). About 70% of BaSO4 produced is used for coating compounds. This leads to increase in quantity of coating due to its heavy weight characteristic. Barite is also extensively used in oil and gas industries for production of drilling mud. Other applications of Barite includes:

Improving plasticity of plastics

Spacer for white and colored pigments

Filler in concrete

Shielding radiations

More Info: www.20microns.com

by: Julian Booth

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