Barium's Physical Properties

Barium  is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in Group 2, a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature in its pure form due to its reactivity with air. Its oxide is historically known as baryta but it reacts with water and carbon dioxide and is not found as a mineral. The most common naturally occurring minerals are the very insoluble barium sulfate, BaSO4 (barite), and barium carbonate, BaCO3 (witherite). Barium's name originates from Greek barys (βαρύς), meaning "heavy", describing the high density of some common barium-containing ores.

Barium is a soft, silvery white alkali earth metal, which quickly oxidizes in air. It crystallizes in body centered cubic lattices. It burns with a green to pale green flame, resulting from emission at 524.2 and 513.7 nm. Its simple compounds are notable for their relatively high (for an alkaline earth element) specific gravity. This high density is true of the most common barium-bearing mineral, barite (BaSO4), also called 'heavy spar' due to the high density (4.5 g/cm³).

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