Barium - Periodic Table of Videos

Barium meals (barium sulfate, not toxic barium) are among the topics in our updated video about the element Barium.
Videos on all the elements at www.periodicvid...

[@Alfalfa2210]

"If you took that amount of lead or mercury, you might get a better picture,...but you'd be dead" Classic professor quote there, it made me smile =)

[@Woad25]

"Have you ever had a barium meal?" "No I haven't." I was really expecting the next line to be "Ahh so you've done the enema then haven't you?"

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Barium nitrate, chlorate, and carbonate are the most common chemicals used to make the color green in fireworks. I was surprised to hear that a salt of barium is ingested for increasing visibility in xrays, as the salts of barium used in fireworks are considered quite poisonous and never handled without a respirator. I would be interested to know what salt is used medically.

[@elanjacobs1]

I think you need to get a polarizing or ND filter for those flame tests, Brady. They get a bit washed out.

[@nobodyinteresting9967]

Why is she opening it in a fume cabinet with 4 pairs of gloves on thought it isnt toxic?

[@lohphat]

Barium isn't too bad to drink (as the professor said, they do flavor it with mint) but it's very unpleasant to pass after the radiography is completed. Yes, it's like sh!$ng a brick. Not fun.

[@Ballacha]

BaSO4 solution (Barium meal) is completely tasteless because it doesn't dissolve in water (our saliva in this case). So it doesn't give out any ions like Ba_2+ or SO4_2- therefore can't be detected by our taste buds. i've had it twice and it tasted rather like very thick milk. They probably put some sugar and artificial flavours in it.

[@byront37]

One major use of Barium is in the Drilling for Oil. It is used to float the drill pipes in the drill hole well it is being drilled ( Barium drilling mud )

[@Drcheasycheetos]

"You might get a better picture, but you'd be dead" Hahahahaha he deserves an oscar for that line I don't care who you are !

[@elementguy27]

As someone who has handled barium, I know that barium is quite light (3.51g/cm3), especially for a metal. You can compare this to titanium (4.5g/cm3) which is known for being light. The reason it is called barium (which comes from the greek word barys meaning heavy) is that a lot of its compounds are quite heavy.

[@aaronstone628]

why would you need 4 pairs of gloves?!

[@criskity]

When I hear "barium", I think "enema".

[@jeebersjumpincryst]

Nice Vid! Yay barium sulphate - it keeps me employed. I give BaSO4 meals, swallows, enemas, follow thru's, SB traces/enemas etc. I have heard so many of these comments lol. And yes I try it regularly. It also forms a concrete like blob in the bottom of the toilet afterwards. Barium sulphate is also sometimes used as a plaster in walls of xray/scan rooms, in place of lead, as a shield against secondary/scatter. Thanks Brady and Prof P :)

[@Federico84]

Green? I see blue

[@TheVerandure]

Him and his walks. I wish I could find so many treasures on such strolls.

[@J0LaPi]

The berium sulfate "smoothie" I had to drink last year was, appropriately enough, berry flavored.

[@ThixWhix]

Why do chemist call Helium ,Curium and Barium the medical elements? Because if you can't Healhim or Curehim you Buryhim!

[@defaultstate4536]

The mineral is probably BaSO4. i have some my own from the hills here. The density is ~ 4.5 g/cm³, which makes it around twice as heavy as ordinary stones

[@kurtilein3]

these videos are so awesome, i already know a lot about the periodic table, and i do have some rare elements at home. I think going through the old videos, seeing how you could improve them, and then updating them is a brilliant strategy. After all, like many people say, the periodic table is like a stamp collection of the DDR, its complete. But new uses for elements and compounds get discovered all the time.

[@ib9rt]

@captaintupelov The glove chamber is to protect the contents from the outside, not to protect the outside from the contents. In other words, it contains an inert atmosphere so the barium does not oxidize by contact with air and moisture.

[@jeffreyfugh7602]

I have to point out that barium falls into the category of "alkaline earth metals" instead of what Professor said "alkaline metals".

[@Shmilli]

I really like the way you edit these videos, Brady. Makes it really interesting to watch!

[@rageagainstthebath]

I believe Barium Sulphate is also used as a white paint in proffesional applications, for example measuring total output power of the lasers. That's my current university project, an Ulbricht's sphere. Anyways, great video!

[@richardo9001]

What do you do with a dead chemist?

[@ajones7107]

You Barium. I've made this joke also.

[@olehenriksn]

"If you take it in the other end" LOL

[@uraniumwilly8807]

Barium sulphate is not toxic, just as table salt (Sodium Chloride) is not toxic. But Barium itself may be toxic just like chloride gas is toxic.

[@naominekomimi]

What does it mean when scientists say a salt of something? Like, a barium salt?

[@loosecannonondeck]

Professor. Correction. Barium does not scatter radiation but is rather attenuated, or absorbed, by the heavy element, much the same as lead. Scatter radiation has a detrimental affect in diagnostic imaging to both fim and patient alike, and is kept to an absolute minimum at all times through a variety of techniques.. Scatter raises the overall radiation dose and has a greying effect on the images produced, thus decreasing sharpness and clarity. Love the videos. Keep up the good work! Thanks.

[@kby5099]

I would love to study in the UK if the overseas fees werent so abnormally high :/

[@PR840]

Barium is highly reactive and it will react with the oxygen and the water vapour in the air. So if you look onto the packing, it's high purity barium and it's quite expensive, so you want to prevent impurities by oxidation etc. This is because a glove-box is used. Ther's a vacuum in it. But you're right all soluble barium salts are toxic, but not as toxic as a glove-box is needed

[@loosecannonondeck]

Yeah. Professor. It's me again. Barium is radiopaque, meaning it does not let X-ray penetrate. Although it is true, that some scatter, or secondary, radiation is produced in during the process depending on several variables and random ionization. Cheerio Professor, Love the videos!

[@merrymoocow100]

Do superconductors have 0 resistance or negligible resistance?

[@bruceliu1657]

i saw blue??

[@andrestrujado]

Great Stuff!!! I wonder how long it remains in the body until it is disposed off that is?

[@twankism]

@periodicvideos he's my hero!

[@rtrantham1]

Some barium salts are very toxic. Barium sulfate is not though because it is non solutable which is what you drink, but barium chlorate,barium nitrate,and carbonate are extremely toxic.

[@YdeckW]

The professor at around 3:00 compares barium and lead as possible x-ray blockers. As far as I am informed, barium sulfate is used for the purpose. And, I also know that barium nitrate is in fact really toxic, but this is due to its solubility. So, BaSO4 is used because it is non-soluble in H2O, therefore not interfering with the organism. Conclusion - barium itself is toxic, but any very insoluble salt (BaSO4 has a really low Ksp) isn't. Is it not so?

[@ArmyGrunt1986]

4 days ago I went to the ER and had to drink 4 -15oz bottles of Barium Sulfate Suspension. The flavor was Banana Smoothie and tasted pretty good, the taste reminded me of cheap protein powder.

[@leosedf]

@nickcorn93 True, i work with barium nitrate to produce green colors on pyrotechnics, i use a respirator, gloves, glasses and a suit, i have to make sure it doesn't contact skin also. The nitrate is very poisonous

[@soylentgreenb]

magicstix0r Barium is acutely toxic at lower concentrations than lead, but barium is not nearly as dangerous as lead. Lead stays with you for a lifetime and repeated small exposures accumulate. Lead exposure in children at doses far less than those that will cause symptoms of acute toxicity will for instance affect intelligence, short term memory, emotional regulation, brain volume etc.

[@Roeland007]

Barium in itself it's the best thing for you since it's a heavy element. However all soluble salts of barium are very toxic. And since barium easily oxidized and barium oxide is soluble you want to try and make contact with it. However barium sulphate which is used for xrays is highly insoluble which is the reason why it's not toxic.

[@zbrooo]

The reason barium sulphate is non-toxic is simply because it's insoluble in water, therefore no Ba2+ ions will be formed so none will be absorbed, it's the ions that are toxic.

[@brainstorm90]

@AshRothPhan because it reacts quickly with air and moisture... that's why it's used in the glove box... inside that, the air is substituted with an inert gas, usually argon.

[@Skindoggiedog]

"You might get a better picture! But you'd be dead." Ever practical, Professor.

[@coolliger]

Great video!

[@tommynights]

It just occured to me, in all the vids in which you ignite items, I see you wearing only clear shielded glasses - consider the intense light and possible UV emissions. I weld and braze metals for my hot rodding hobby and if I (very rarely)forget to shield my eyes, even when only heating the metal, they feel dry and itch - the first warning signs of retina damage. Just an observation, please be careful. Thanks for the terrific vids!

[@ShortGuy1792]

When I was about 14 I had an X ray of my gastrointestinal system. I remember having to drink a lot of barium. It was hard to keep down it tasted so horrible. Then I had to sit for several hours to let it disperse through my system, then drink some more and wait a few more hours. They should really give that stuff some sort of fruit flavor for kids. :D

[@PangKhaiShuen]

OMG LOOK AT HIS SCREEN SAVER!!! WOW!!!

[@Dyrwen]

Great video. I had to drink a barium solution to test for tapeworms or obstructions and god, it was the worst thing I've ever tasted. Didn't help that I'm lactose intolerant and it tasted like milk mixed with chalk. It's a useful element, but totally disgusting to eat.

[@vevenaneathna]

ive missed you guys making these videos about the elements.

[@jhoughjr1]

Barium doesn't taste so bad, a little chalky, but I've tasted worse things.

[@mrbullseye]

If it's non toxic, why the glove box? They seem to miss out on these basic bits of information in alot of these videos. In any case, I do love them as they are very educational. Thanks alot. =)

[@Pygar2]

I'd like to see a video on bismuth "melt in your hands" alloys. Also, in John W. Campbell's "The Atomic Story" he had a pic of a Periodic Table displayed as a sort of warped 3-D spiral with projections-- I'd love to know what advantage there was of displaying the PT like that and can't find the book-- think I sold it years back. Love to have a scan of the relevant pages, if nothing else... If displaying the PT like that as an advantage, I'll bet this would be the place to reveal it.

[@pagani8]

Please tell the Professor that I'm happy he can still do videos while being Foreign Secretary :).

[@laurdy]

barium is also used for the getter in radio valves

[@Roeland007]

The piece of ore looks like baryte which is barium sulphate which is the form in which almost all barium is in in nature. Normally it will also contain a few percent of strontium sulphate as well. And the reason it feel very heavy is because the specific gravity of baryte is quite high at around 4.5-5 but it highly depends on the barium sulphate content and a difference between 85% and 95% barium sulphate makes quite a big difference in the specific gravity.

[@Radditz770]

That flame wasn't green, it was bright light blue o:

[@jesseli7931]

thanks, i'm not knowledgeable at all because i'm at a young age so nearly all this advance stuff i learn from youtube. thanks again ;P

[@Anytus2007]

I think there are 2 explanations. 1) The camera does not capture light in the same way that our eyes do. Green is actually a very narrow band in the visible spectrum for us (some conjecture that this evolved in us so that basically every natural green thing would end up being a plant and thus a source of food/water). The light produced by this kind of reaction is definitely not monochromatic, so if the camera absorbs light differently than our eyes, the pictures could appear a different color.

[@phodd]

@asseeninYOURDREAMS There are non-toxic Barium compounds, but Barium itself is fairly hazardous - as you can see at the end of the video - because it reacts with water. Since people are mostly water, you wouldn't want to eat actual Barium, and you wouldn't want it touching your skin. Worse still, the byproduct of the reaction with water is Barium Hydroxide, which is caustic, so you wouldn't want that on your skin either. Gloves are necessary.

[@thesuperfluffyrabbit]

From first hand experience Barium burns green (a very pretty green too), although in the video it does look blue. So while it looks blue in the video it's actually green.

[@gckbowers411]

Barium is not heavy in pure form. It is actually less dense than Titanium. It's just part of lots of heavy compounds.

[@Shivachemist]

The new periodic table of videos are awesome. I would like to see Chromium chemistry as they are very colorful. But, I did not buy any chromium compounds since they are carcinogenic, especially the hexavalent compounds. But, trivalent compounds are much safer and they are not considered as human carcinogens.

[@spacecowboy2k]

My son had a barium meal, he was a champ. Most people end up vomiting at some point but my 7-year old managed somehow to keep it down, and when he passed it.. well, it was like a lead weight. Amazing stuff, and gross.

[@jeebersjumpincryst]

@coldlogic1 yeah, it sounds like u have a fairly good grasp of it. with xrays, which have a pretty short wavelength, and a fairly high energy, the higher the atomic number of the element, the better it stops the xrays. It does this by absorbing them, or attenuating them. There are about 4 main ways this happens, but too long for a yt comment. the advantage of barium is its salt, (sulphate) is VERY unreactive(inert)so is safe for ingestion. Iodine compounds are used also,but are especially ...

[@mrf0lky]

could you do a video abouth chloroform? im going to do chemisty in school so it will be a part of my life. but i find chloroform rather mystic meabe you could make a video to explain its real property's and uses in the lab?

[@DeadlyLegion]

Mmmh good Barium shots! Expensive though - Futurama Fry! :D

[@ZardoDhieldor]

This apple green flame looks rather blue to me! :/ Putting Caesium into water looks much more interesting! :D

[@arstgkneio]

anyone else notice the screensaver in the background crossing over from one computer to the other?

[@Arvak777]

Really liked the color of the fire. You guys should do a video on the chemistry of fire and the colors associated with it :)

[@Trichomes503]

I've had a Barium examination. I couldn't believe how much they made me drink. It was the absolute worst milkshake I've ever had. I still have horrible indigestion that the doctor wasn't able to treat.

[@kai141093]

i love how he allways first pulls a little probe of his mixture on the table , and then decides to take all of it , like a second later :D at 4:52

[@jasonguyperson]

"You can see my eye through it." :)

[@BOURITOJOE]

Totally worth it.

[@sonicase]

at 2:52 the prof says barium is nontoxic, but it actually is toxic,...the compound that people take for the x-ray is barium sulfate which like he said before isn't toxic if you used a different heavy metal then yes that would be toxic too but the elemental barium is toxic it could be that just the video was edited in an odd way where that doesn't sound clear might want to clarify that

[@jesseli7931]

at about 4:58 there is a reflection on the wall and it's green. probably because the flames less intense on the reflection :P so your probably right

[@YouJustGotGerrowned]

The smoke was blue-white, and there was likely a bit of colour distortion from the camera.

[@CloudStrafeff7]

I've had a Barium meal (don't worry I didn't have anything serious, lol0. It's actually not that bad.. it's a bit pasty but it only lasts a couple seconds and the taste is endurable.

[@badbobbyhughes]

@dajwilkinson yeah, the hydroxide was preciptating. hence the "cloudiness" and not a "swilry-ness" (like when water swirls from a small bit of dissolved salt or sugar) atmospheric CO2 is less than 1% of air at STP, think its around 300pm? (thatsa balpark figure but you get the idea)

[@byront37]

I need to send you a nice geode from Indiana with Barite in it. With it although it has a yellowish color you can still see it is and can be a transparent mineral.

[@shadeelocc]

Most mirror material give off a faint green hue to the reflection.

[@WillyM79]

I thumbed up for the professor's epic tie

[@Csky1988]

just had an esophageal fluoroscopy, and got to drink some barium mixture. they made it taste like berries, and i thought that was a bit of a pun off of barium. they aren't kidding either the element is really heavy for the amount that was in the little Dixie cup they gave me at least.

[@RogueCrockett]

I wish this guy was my science teacher in college XD he makes more sense XD

[@jackycck2222]

4:32 Why do he mix it with some suger ?

[@Way2Stylish4U]

Nice tie professor!

[@MegaHazzer123]

this video just remided me i have a large package of barium nitrate under my bed, i will be back in 10 minutes

[@ericsbuds]

mr professor, speak and i will listen!

[@Phage0070]

@BenjaminFranklin2u They want the shavings in a neat little pile; the way she did it they all fall straight down into the foil. If she is moving the file around then it gets messy.

[@SenatorPob]

Pete License appears on screen; a couple of seconds later something is on fire. I think that's become a convention of these videos, lol.

[@mogeroithe]

Isn't CaCl what we add to a cement admixture to create heat so that it can be used in colder environments? They also use it in canneries to keep vegetables from turning to mush when being cooked. But I was not aware that glass could be made from it. The only forms of CaCl I am familiar with are liquid or what looked like salt tablets.

[@storyspren]

"Why are helium, curium, and barium considered the medical elements? Because if you can't helium, or curium, you barium!" -Heimerdinger

[@callumWLB]

im pretty sure the mineral the professor was holding was barite, which is indeed barium sulfate :)

[@Muscleduck]

I'm glad I never had to take a Barium meal! Btw, is Barium salt the stuff they use to monitor the heart on an x-ray machine too?

[@jackycck2222]

@ilvmusiclol I understand now.Thanks for your help ! :)

[@NaoeY]

I want the Prof's tie.

[@monkeyboy4746]

They seem to always give you a lot of barium meal, much more than you would think was needed for a good picture, I think it is because you are going to throw half of it up anyway so that is why they give so much. The first bit is not too bad at all, but then as you take more it gets really nasty, at the last bit you are trying your best not to hurl.

[@AntiProtonBoy]

Was the black disc on the Professor's table a superconductor?

[@linjedomarn99]

Funny episode. I like!

[@mathbrmath]

I like the way his screensaver goes through 2 monitors =D