Barium chloride

Barium chloride is an inorganic salt with formula BaCl₂, commonly encountered as a white, water-soluble solid. It dissociates in water into barium and chloride ions.

Barium: Barium is a soft, silvery alkaline-earth metal with atomic number 56. Barium chloride contains barium as its positively charged ion.
Dissociation (chemistry): Dissociation is the separation of a compound into smaller particles, such as ions, in solution. Water separates the salt into Ba²⁺ and Cl⁻ ions.
Sulfate test: A sulfate test detects sulfate ions by producing a characteristic insoluble precipitate, commonly barium sulfate. Barium chloride supplies the barium ions used in this qualitative test.
Barium sulfate: Barium sulfate is an insoluble white compound with formula BaSO₄, used in medical imaging and industrial materials. Unlike soluble barium chloride, it remains largely undissolved in water.
Chloride: Chloride is the negatively charged ion formed when chlorine gains one electron. Two chloride ions balance each barium ion in the salt.
Sulfate: Sulfate is the polyatomic ion SO₄²⁻, found in many minerals and dissolved salts. Sulfate ions react with dissolved barium ions to form an insoluble solid.
Qualitative inorganic analysis: Qualitative inorganic analysis identifies ions and compounds through characteristic chemical reactions. The salt serves as a reagent in tests for sulfate and other anions.
Barium nitrate: Barium nitrate is a water-soluble inorganic salt with formula Ba(NO₃)₂. It supplies the same barium ion but a different anion.
Ionic compound: An ionic compound consists of positively and negatively charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. The attraction between Ba²⁺ and Cl⁻ ions defines the solid’s bonding.
Precipitation (chemistry): Precipitation is the formation of an insoluble solid from substances in solution. The sulfate test relies on precipitation of barium sulfate.

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