Barium (Ba)
Barium is a soft, reactive metal. Barium sulfate is used in medical imaging to make the digestive system visible on X-rays.
Properties of Barium
- Atomic number
- 56
- Category
- Alkaline Earth Metal
- Atomic mass
- 137.33 u
- Electron configuration
- [Xe] 6s²
- Melting point
- 1000 K (726.85 °C)
- Boiling point
- 2118 K (1844.85 °C)
- Density
- 3.594 g/cm³
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 0.89
- Appearance
- Silvery-gray metal
- Discovered by
- Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1772)
Facts about Barium
- Doctors give patients barium milkshakes so their intestines show up on X-rays!
- Barium makes green fireworks green!
- Barium's name comes from the Greek word for "heavy"!
- Barium compounds glow in the dark after being exposed to light!