Barium chlorate

Last updated
Barium chlorate
Barium chlorate.svg
Bariumchloratepowder.jpg
Names
IUPAC name
Barium dichlorate
Other names
Chloric acid, barium salt
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.033.404 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
  • 236-760-7
PubChem CID
RTECS number
  • FN9770000
UNII
UN number 1445
  • InChI=1S/Ba.2ClHO3/c;2*2-1(3)4/h;2*(H,2,3,4)/q+2;;/p-2 Yes check.svgY
    Key: ISFLYIRWQDJPDR-UHFFFAOYSA-L Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/Ba.2ClHO3/c;2*2-1(3)4/h;2*(H,2,3,4)/q+2;;/p-2
    Key: ISFLYIRWQDJPDR-NUQVWONBAT
  • [Ba+2].[O-]Cl(=O)=O.[O-]Cl(=O)=O
Properties
Ba(ClO3)2
Molar mass 304.23 g/mol
Appearancewhite solid
Density 3.18 g/cm3, solid
Melting point 413.9 °C (777.0 °F; 687.0 K) (decomposes)
27.5 g/100 ml (20 °C)
-87.5·10−6 cm3/mol
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-rondflam.svg GHS-pictogram-exclam.svg GHS-pictogram-pollu.svg
Danger
H271, H302, H332, H411
P210, P220, P221, P261, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P283, P301+P312, P304+P312, P304+P340, P306+P360, P312, P330, P370+P378, P371+P380+P375, P391, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704.svgHealth 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasFlammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. waterInstability 3: Capable of detonation or explosive decomposition but requires a strong initiating source, must be heated under confinement before initiation, reacts explosively with water, or will detonate if severely shocked. E.g. hydrogen peroxideSpecial hazard OX: Oxidizer. E.g. potassium perchlorate
3
0
3
OX
Safety data sheet (SDS) Barium Chlorate MSDS
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Yes check.svgY  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Barium chlorate, Ba(ClO3)2, is the barium salt of chloric acid. It is a white crystalline solid, and like all soluble barium compounds, irritant and toxic. It is sometimes used in pyrotechnics to produce a green color. It also finds use in the production of chloric acid.

Contents

Reactions

Synthesis

Barium chlorate can be produced through a double replacement reaction between solutions of barium chloride and sodium chlorate:

BaCl2 + 2 NaClO3 → Ba(ClO3)2 + 2 NaCl

On concentrating and chilling the resulting mixture, barium chlorate precipitates. This is perhaps the most common preparation, exploiting the lower solubility of barium chlorate compared to sodium chlorate.[ citation needed ]

The above method does result in some sodium contamination, which is undesirable for pyrotechnic purposes, where the strong yellow of sodium can easily overpower the green of barium. Sodium-free barium chlorate can be produced directly through electrolysis: [1]

BaCl2 + 6 H2O → Ba(ClO3)2 + 6 H2

It can also be produced by the reaction of barium carbonate with boiling ammonium chlorate solution: [1] [ unreliable source? ]

2 NH4ClO3 + BaCO3 + Q → Ba(ClO3)2 + 2 NH3 + H2O + CO2

The reaction initially produces barium chlorate and ammonium carbonate; boiling the solution decomposes the ammonium carbonate and drives off the resulting ammonia and carbon dioxide, leaving only barium chlorate in solution.

The green seen in this firework is produced by barium chlorate and barium nitrate FireworkatDisneyWorld.png
The green seen in this firework is produced by barium chlorate and barium nitrate

Decomposition

When exposed to heat, barium chlorate alone will decompose to barium chloride and oxygen:

Ba(ClO3)2 → BaCl2 + 3 O2

Chloric acid

Barium chlorate is used to produce chloric acid, the formal precursor to all chlorate salts, through its reaction with dilute sulfuric acid, which results in a solution of chloric acid and insoluble barium sulfate precipitate:[ citation needed ]

Ba(ClO3)2 + H2SO4 → 2 HClO3 + BaSO4

Both the chlorate and the acid should be prepared as dilute solutions before mixing, such that the chloric acid produced is dilute, as concentrated solutions of chloric acid (above 30%) are unstable and prone to decompose, sometimes explosively.

Commercial uses

Barium chlorate, when burned with a fuel, produces a vibrant green light. Because it is an oxidizer, a chlorine donor, and contains a metal, this compound produces a green color that is unparalleled. However, due to the instability of all chlorates to sulfur, acids, and ammonium ions, chlorates have been banned from use in class C fireworks in the United States. Therefore, more and more firework producers have begun to use more stable compound such as barium nitrate and barium carbonate. [2]

Environmental Hazard

Barium chlorate is toxic to humans and can also harm the environment. It is very harmful to aquatic organisms if it is leached into bodies of water. Chemical spills of this compound, although not common, can harm entire ecosystems and should be prevented. [3] It is necessary to dispose of this compound as hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists barium chlorate as hazardous. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chlorine</span> Chemical element, symbol Cl and atomic number 17

Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine is a yellow-green gas at room temperature. It is an extremely reactive element and a strong oxidising agent: among the elements, it has the highest electron affinity and the third-highest electronegativity on the revised Pauling scale, behind only oxygen and fluorine.

In chemistry, a salt is a chemical compound consisting of an ionic assembly of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, which results in a compound with no net electric charge. A common example is table salt, with positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium carbonate</span> Chemical compound

Sodium carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water. Historically, it was extracted from the ashes of plants grown in sodium-rich soils. Because the ashes of these sodium-rich plants were noticeably different from ashes of wood, sodium carbonate became known as "soda ash". It is produced in large quantities from sodium chloride and limestone by the Solvay process, as well as by carbonating sodium hydroxide which is made using the Chlor-alkali process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium hypochlorite</span> Chemical compound (known in solution as bleach)

Sodium hypochlorite, commonly known in a dilute solution as (chlorine) bleach, is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula NaOCl, consisting of a sodium cation and a hypochlorite anion. It may also be viewed as the sodium salt of hypochlorous acid. The anhydrous compound is unstable and may decompose explosively. It can be crystallized as a pentahydrate NaOCl·5H
2
O
, a pale greenish-yellow solid which is not explosive and is stable if kept refrigerated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potassium chlorate</span> Chemical compound

Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen, with the molecular formula KClO3. In its pure form, it is a white crystalline substance. After sodium chlorate, it is the second most common chlorate in industrial use. It is a strong oxidizing agent and its most important application is in safety matches. In other applications it is mostly obsolete and has been replaced by safer alternatives in recent decades. It has been used

The common-ion effect refers to the decrease in solubility of an ionic precipitate by the addition to the solution of a soluble compound with an ion in common with the precipitate. This behaviour is a consequence of Le Chatelier's principle for the equilibrium reaction of the ionic association/dissociation. The effect is commonly seen as an effect on the solubility of salts and other weak electrolytes. Adding an additional amount of one of the ions of the salt generally leads to increased precipitation of the salt, which reduces the concentration of both ions of the salt until the solubility equilibrium is reached. The effect is based on the fact that both the original salt and the other added chemical have one ion in common with each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barium hydroxide</span> Chemical compound

Barium hydroxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Ba(OH)2. The monohydrate (x = 1), known as baryta or baryta-water, is one of the principal compounds of barium. This white granular monohydrate is the usual commercial form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barium chloride</span> Chemical compound

Barium chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula BaCl2. It is one of the most common water-soluble salts of barium. Like most other water-soluble barium salts, it is a white powder, highly toxic, and imparts a yellow-green coloration to a flame. It is also hygroscopic, converting to the dihydrate BaCl2·2H2O, which are colourless crystals with a bitter salty taste. It has limited use in the laboratory and industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chloric acid</span> Chemical compound

Chloric acid, HClO3, is an oxoacid of chlorine, and the formal precursor of chlorate salts. It is a strong acid (pKa ≈ −2.7) and an oxidizing agent.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium chlorate</span> Chemical compound

Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaClO3. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 300 °C to release oxygen and leaves sodium chloride. Several hundred million tons are produced annually, mainly for applications in bleaching pulp to produce high brightness paper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium perchlorate</span> Chemical compound

Sodium perchlorate is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula NaClO4. It is a white crystalline, hygroscopic solid that is highly soluble in water and in alcohol. It is usually encountered as the monohydrate. The compound is noteworthy as the most water-soluble of the common perchlorate salts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonium chlorate</span> Chemical compound

Ammonium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4ClO3.

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A pyrotechnic composition is a substance or mixture of substances designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas/smoke or a combination of these, as a result of non-detonative self-sustaining exothermic chemical reactions. Pyrotechnic substances do not rely on oxygen from external sources to sustain the reaction.

Calcium chlorate is the calcium salt of chloric acid, with the chemical formula Ca(ClO3)2. Like other chlorates, it is a strong oxidizer.

Barium perchlorate is a powerful oxidizing agent, with the formula Ba(ClO4)2. It is used in the pyrotechnic industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lead compounds</span> Type of compound

Compounds of lead exist with lead in two main oxidation states: +2 and +4. The former is more common. Inorganic lead(IV) compounds are typically strong oxidants or exist only in highly acidic solutions.

References

  1. 1 2 Perigrin, Tom. "Barium Chlorate". GeoCities. Archived from the original on 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
  2. Wilson, Elizabeth (July 2, 2001). "What's That Stuff? Fireworks". Chemical & Engineering News . 79 (27): 30.
  3. "Barium Chlorate". inchem.org.
  4. "Barium Chlorate" (PDF). Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet. New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services.