Barium acetate (Ba(C2H3O2)2) is the salt of barium (II) and acetic acid.
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. It decomposes upon heating into barium carbonate .
White powdery solid; density 2.47g/cm3; decomposes on heating; highly soluble in water (55.8g /100g at 0°C), sparingly soluble in methanol (~1.43 g per liter).
Used as catalyst for organic reactions
Barium acetate [Ba(C2H3O2)2?H2O], a white crystal, is used as a dryer for paints and varnishes.
It is produced by adding acetic acid to barium sulfate and recovering the crystals by
evaporation. It is also used as a textile mordant and catalyst.
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.
ChEBI: Barium acetate is an acetate salt in which the cationic component is barium(2+). It has a role as a mordant and a catalyst. It is an organic barium salt and an acetate salt.
Barium acetate is generally produced by the reaction of acetic acid with barium carbonate :
BaCO3 + 2 CH3COOH → (CH3COO)2Ba + CO2 + H2O
The reaction is performed in solution and the barium acetate crystallizes out. Alternatively, barium sulfide can be used :
BaS + 2 CH3COOH → (CH3COO)2Ba +H2S
Again, the solvent is evaporated off and the barium acetate crystallized.
When heated in air, barium acetate decomposes to the carbonate. It reacts with acids: reaction with sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid give the sulfate, chloride and nitrate respectively.
Barium acetate is the barium salt of acetic acid.
The salt or its aqueous solution is highly toxic. LD10 (oral) rabbit: 236 mg/kg; LD10 (subcutaneous) rabbit: 96 mg/kg. See Barium.
Flammability and Explosibility
Not classified
Poison via ingestion,
intravenous, and subcutaneous routes.
When heated to decomposition it emits
acrid smoke and fumes. See also BARIUM
COMPOUNDS.
Crystallise the salt twice from anhydrous acetic acid and dry it under vacuum for 24hours at 100o. [Beilstein 2 I 49, 2 II 117, 2 III 192, 2 IV 114.]
