barium (Ba)

Term: barium (Ba)

Literally meaning: “pertaining to heavy”

Origin: Anc Greek

βαρύς/varys(=heavy)

The element was called barium because it is found in baryte(BaSO₄₎,  a mineral which had been given its name because of its high

Coined/History 

Barium was first isolated by English chemist Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) through the electrolysis of molten baryta (BaO), similar to the method he used to isolate strontium.  

Definition

Barium is a chemical element with atomic number 56 and atomic mass 137.33. It is a soft, silvery-white metal which is never found in nature since it reacts with oxygen in the air forming BaO and with water, forming Ba(OH)2 and hydrogen gas. Barium has among others many medical applications. It is used also in vacuum tubes to remove the last traces of gases.