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Barium is a chemical element with symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is a silvery-white metal that can be found in the environment, where it exists naturally. Because of its high chemical reactivity barium is never found in nature as a free element. It occurs combined with other chemicals, such as sulphur, carbon or oxygen. Barium is very light and its density is half that of iron. It oxidises in air, reacts vigorously with water to form the hydroxide, liberating hydrogen. Barium reacts with almost all the non-metals, often forming poisonous compounds. This substance does not occur as a mineral, but can be prepared by heating barium carbonate. [1,2]
