Barium acetate
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barium acetate is the barium salt of acetic acid, with the chemical formula (CH3COO)2Ba. It is used in chemistry and manufacturing as a soluble source of barium and is toxic to humans.
Powdered Anhydrous Barium Acetate | |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name
Barium acetate | |
| Other names
Barium diacetate | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| Abbreviations | Ba(OAc)2 |
| ChEBI | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.008.045 |
| EC Number |
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PubChem CID |
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| RTECS number |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C4H6BaO4 | |
| Molar mass | 255.415 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | White solid |
| Odor | odorless |
| Density | 2.468 g/cm3 (anhydrous) 2.19 g/cm3 (monohydrate) |
| Melting point | 450 °C (842 °F; 723 K) decomposes |
| 55.8 g/100 mL (0 °C) 72 g/100mL (20 °C) | |
| Solubility | slightly soluble in ethanol, methanol |
| −100.1·10−6 cm3/mol (·2H2O) | |
| Structure | |
| tetragonal | |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards |
Toxic, hazardous on ingestion |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
921 mg/kg (oral, rat).[2][3] |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Preparation
Barium acetate is generally produced by the reaction of acetic acid with barium carbonate:[4]
The reaction is performed in solution and the barium acetate crystalizes out at temperatures above 41 °C. Between 25 and 40 °C, the monohydrate version crystalizes. Alternatively, barium sulfide can be used:[4]
- BaS + 2 CH3COOH → (CH3COO)2Ba + H2S
Again, the solvent is evaporated off and the barium acetate crystallized.
Properties
Barium acetate is a white powder, which is highly soluble: at 0 °C, 55.8 g of barium acetate can be dissolved in 100 g of water.
Reactions
Barium acetate can be used in metathesis reactions.
When heated in air, barium acetate decomposes to barium carbonate.[citation needed]
Uses
Barium acetate is used as a mordant for printing textile fabrics, for drying paints and varnishes, and in lubricating oil. In chemistry, it is used in the preparation of other acetates, and as a catalyst in organic synthesis.[citation needed]
In popular culture
Barium acetate was featured in a 2001 episode of the television series Forensic Files, recounting the 1993 murder of a man by his teenaged daughter (Marie Robards). That episode and other crime documentaries about the Robards do not name the chemical.
Barium acetate was featured in a 2014 episode of the crime documentary series Redrum.
Barium acetate was named as the choice poison of a teen's murder of her father in an episode of Deadly Women.[citation needed]


