
Barium
Barium is a silvery-white metal which exists in nature only in ores containing mixtures of elements. It combines with other chemicals such as sulfur or carbon and oxygen to form barium compounds. Barium compounds are used by the oil and gas industries to make drilling muds. Drilling muds make it easier to drill through rock by keeping the drill bit lubricated. They are also used to make paint, bricks, ceramics, glass, and rubber. Barium sulfate is sometimes used by doctors to perform medical tests and to take x-rays of the gastrointestinal tract. — Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- IUPAC name
- barium
- Molecular formula
- Ba
- Molecular weight
- 137.33 g/mol
- Exact mass
- 137.905247 Da
- Topological polar surface area
- 0.0 Ų
- Hydrogen-bond donors
- 0
- Hydrogen-bond acceptors
- 0
- Covalent units
- 1
- Defined stereocentres
- 0
Also known as
16 more reported names
External database identifiers
- ChEBI:CHEBI:32594
- ChEBI:CHEBI:32595
- ChEMBL:CHEMBL4297653
- EPA DTXSID:DTXSID8023894
- PubMed:37400750
- PubMed:34083740
- PubMed:31407482
- PubMed:30696509
- PubMed:29957541
- PubMed:28321702
- PubMed:27798183
- PubMed:27506416
- PubMed:26689646
- PubMed:26542316
- PubMed:24830451
- PubMed:23804419
Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-08-31 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.