Barium chlorate
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 colour. It also finds use in the production of chloric acid. ReactionsSynthesisBarium chlorate can be produced through a double replacement reaction between solutions of barium chloride and sodium chlorate:
After concentrating and cooling 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 colour of sodium can easily overpower the green of barium. Sodium-free barium chlorate can be produced directly through electrolysis:[2][unreliable source?]
It can also be produced by the reaction of barium carbonate with boiling ammonium chlorate solution:[3]
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. DecompositionWhen exposed to heat, barium chlorate alone will decompose to barium chloride and oxygen:
Chloric acidBarium chlorate is sometimes used to produce chloric acid.[3]: 312–313 Commercial usesWhen barium chlorate is heated with a fuel, it burns to produce a vibrant green light, which is also a flame test for the presence of bariom ions. Because it is an oxidizer, a chlorine donor, and contains a metal ion, this compound produces a distinctive green colour.[citation needed] 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 compounds such as barium nitrate and barium carbonate.[4] Environmental HazardBarium chlorate, like all oxidizing agents, is dangerous to human health and is also classed as toxic to 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 pollute entire ecosystems and should be prevented.[5] It is necessary to dispose of this compound as hazardous waste. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists barium chlorate as hazardous.[6] References
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