Barium carbonate is an inorganic compound that also comes as a mineral witherite. It is white in color and is sparingly soluble in water. Let us understand more about its uses.
Barium carbonate is one of the most useful barium-containing compounds. Its uses are given below:
- One of the main uses of BaCO3 is in glass production. About 75% of the total production of BaCO3 goes into this. It is used for three reasons. One is for its ability to increase the refractive index of glass, thus giving a glazing brilliance to it.
- BaCO3 is used as a source of barium oxide. BaO can decrease the melting temperature of the glass and adds some density to it. This improves the durability of the glass. BaCO3 finds applications in decorative glass, and textile fiberglass, among others.
- BaCO3 in glass production is used as an X-ray screening agent in Television glass. It provides radiation shielding by absorbing X-rays.
- BaCO3 is used in brickmaking. Soluble sulfates present in clay cause a process called scumming where the sulfates come to the surface during fire-hardening and calcination. It causes deterioration of bricks in the future and affects the construction. To prevent this, BaCO3 is used in small amounts, which reacts with the soluble sulfates to form insoluble carbonates and sulfates.
- BaCO3 also finds applications in the Chlor-alkali process. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is an important component for producing chlorine gas using the Chlor-alkali process. At the industrial level, the NaCl used can have many impurities present, including sulfates. Higher concentrations of these sulfates in the NaCl solution cause accumulation on electrodes. This will lead to higher consumption of energy and reduces the electrode lifetime. To avoid this, BaCO3 is used to convert the sulfates into BaSO4 which is insoluble.
- BaCO3 is used in well-drilling fluids. When gypsum is present in mud, it can cause coagulation. To avoid this, BaCO3 is used as an additive in the process, so that it can precipitate gypsum and make it insoluble.
- BaCO3 is used to make photographic papers. The barium sulfate that it produces gives a flat-white shine to the photographs.
- BaCO3 can be used to produce barium ferrites, which have multiple uses. It is made by finely grounding BaCO3 and Iron oxide and is made to react in solid state by mixing them in a stoichiometric ratio. Magnetically aligned barium ferrites can be used by small motors by pressing them into permanent magnets. They also find applications in appliances as part of the closure mechanism where they are used in powder form compounded onto plastic strips.
- BaCO3 is also used in pyrotechnics for imparting white or green colors.
- BaCO3 finds applications in paints, enamels, coatings and adhesives, detergents, etc.
Conclusion
BaCO3 is a tasteless, odorless compound that decomposes into BaO and CO2 at higher temperatures. It is an alkaline earth metal compound that finds use in industry for multiple purposes. In this article, most of those uses have been listed.
Hi….My name is Hariny Rajadurai. I am a graduate of IISER,
Thiruvananthapuram with an Integrated Master’s in Science. I did my major in Chemistry and minor in Biology. During my degree, I worked in supramolecular chemistry and polymer chemistry. I have worked as a Research Associate at a startup where I worked with polymers. I like to write and explain difficult topics in a simplistic way for my readers.