Barium Hydroxide
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Related to Barium Hydroxide: barium sulphate, nitrogen oxide
barium hydroxide
[′bar·ē·əm hī′dräk‚sīd] (inorganic chemistry)
Ba(OH)2·8H2O Colorless, monoclinic crystals, melting at 78°C; soluble in water, insoluble in acetone; used for fat saponification and fusing of silicates.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Barium Hydroxide
caustic baryta, Ba(OH)2, a base (alkali). Under ordinary conditions it exists in the form Ba(OH)2-8H20—colorless crystals with a density of 2.18 g/cm3. At 78° C it melts in its own water of crystallization. It is readily soluble in water (3.5g BaO in 100 g H20 at 20° C). The aqueous solution has a strongly alkaline reaction. The saturated aqueous solution of barium hydroxide at ordinary temperatures is called baryta water; upon contact of this solution with air, it absorbs CO2 and becomes turbid owing to the precipitation of barium carbonate. Barium hydroxide is a sensitive reagent for carbonate and sulfate ions. It initiates polymerization reactions and is also used in the production of sugar.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.