What are the uses of barium hydroxide?

Industrially, barium hydroxide is used as a precursor to several other barium compounds. The monohydrate of this compound is widely used to dehydrate and extract sulfate from different products. The very low solubility of barium sulfate is utilized in this application.

How is barium hydroxide prepared?

Barium hydroxide is usually prepared by dissolving barium oxide (chemical formula: BaO) in water. The chemical equation for this reaction is provided below.

BaO + 9 H2O → Ba(OH)2·8H2O

It can be noted that this compound crystallizes into the octahydrate form, which is then converted into a monohydrate by heating it in air.

What happens when barium hydroxide is heated?

When heated to 800° C, barium hydroxide decomposes to yield barium oxide. Barium carbonate is provided by reaction with carbon dioxide. The strongly alkaline, aqueous solution undergoes neutralization reactions with acids.