barium (Ba)Article Free Pass
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- Barium - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
alkaline earth metal often used as a carrier for radium in metallurgy. Barium is found in nature only in combination with other elements, but is a soft, silvery-white metallic element when purified. It oxidizes easily and must be kept under oxygen-free conditions. It is used in vacuum tubes to perfect the vacuum, in copper refining, and in certain alloys. Barium compounds are used as pigments, rat poisons, fillers in paper and rubber, and as an opaque medium in X-ray examination of the digestive tract. It was discovered by Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808.