Barium acetate
Barium acetate is the barium salt of acetic acid, with the chemical formula. It is used in chemistry and manufacturing as a soluble source of barium and is toxic to humans.
Preparation
Barium acetate is generally produced by the reaction of acetic acid with barium carbonate: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:
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.
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.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. 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.