Barium Phosphate Formula

Barium phosphate can be defined as an inorganic salt. The barium phosphate formula can be represented as Ba3(PO4)2.  Barium phosphate is generally described as a colourless solid, the compound does have a fading odour similar to acetic acid. According to the X-ray crystallography experiment the structure of the barium phosphate was revealed as an association of barium ions with the phosphate, Ba2+ cations attached to a polyphosphate anion. Polyphosphate anion can be defined as the salts or ester formed from the tetrahedral PO4 (phosphate). The structural unit is linked together by the sharing oxygen atom. Barium phosphate has many hydrated from, one of them is Barium Phosphate Dihydrate. 

Barium Phosphate Formula

Barium phosphate is also commonly known as the tribarium diphosphate. The formula for the tribarium diphosphate or barium phosphate can be represented as Ba3(PO4)2. It is the tribasic barium phosphate formula. The barium phosphate constitutes the 3 cations and 2 anions. The three cations are provided by the barium atom whereas the two anions are provided by anion. The cationic form of barium is Ba2+ whereas the anionic form of the phosphate is represented as PO43-. According to the IUPAC nomenclature, the barium phosphate is named as barium(2+); diphosphate. The structural formula for barium phosphate can be represented as the structural formula of the compound is used for the understanding of the stereochemistry of the salt.

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Preparation of Barium Phosphate

Barium phosphate is an inorganic salt, it is produced by the reaction of barium carbonate, the chemical formula of the compound barium carbonate is represented as BaCO3, and with the metaphosphoric acid. There is also a different reaction that leads to the production of the barium phosphate salt. It involves the reaction between the salt barium chloride and sodium metaphosphate. 

The chemical reaction which involves the use of barium carbonate and metaphosphoric acid is written as 

Barium carbonate + 2 metaphosphoric acid → barium phosphate + carbon dioxide + water

BaCO3 + 2HPO3 → Ba(PO3)2 +CO2 +H2O

The chemical reaction for the production of barium phosphate involving the reaction between salt barium chloride and sodium metaphosphate can be written as

Barium chloride salt + sodium metaphosphate →  barium phosphate + sodium chloride

BaCl2(aq) + 2NaPO3(aq) → Ba(PO3)2 + 2NaCl 

It is important to note that in this case barium phosphate is obtained as the precipitate and removed from the solution by the method of precipitation. 

Physical Properties of Barium Phosphate

The physical properties of barium phosphate include features like colour, state, melting point, boiling point, and appearance. There are some of the physical properties of the barium phosphate which are listed below.

1. The melting point of barium phosphate is 1560 ºC

2. The density of barium phosphate is  3.63 g/mL

3. Barium phosphate is a colourless compound

4. They are generally in a powder state.

5. They are not soluble in water

6. They are soluble in some acids like acetic acid.

Chemical Properties of Barium Phosphate

The chemical properties of the compound include features like molecular weight, chemical formula, the complexity of the compound, coefficient of thermal expansion. Some of the chemical properties of barium phosphate are listed below.

1. The barium phosphate formula is written as Ba3(PO4)2

2. It is characterized as the salt of barium and polyanion of phosphate.

3. The chemical compound has a molecular weight of 295.27 g/mol

4. Barium phosphate has a complexity of 36.8

5. The coefficient of thermal expansion for barium phosphate is very high.

Other Names of Barium Phosphate

There are some other names of barium phosphate some of them are listed here, 

Tribarium diphosphate, 

Barium orthophosphate, 

Phosphoric acid, 

barium salt, 

barium(2+) diphosphate, 

tribarium(2+) diphosphate.

Uses of Tribarium Diphosphate

Barium phosphate is used for various commercial purposes some of which include, the use of barium phosphate in the glass industry. In this industry, the compound is used as raw material because of their high thermal coefficient and high melting point.  They are also used as proton conducting material in fuel sensors. Another example of the application of barium phosphate is seen in pulsed laser technology.

Health and Safety hazards

Barium phosphate is very harmful if it is swallowed or enters the body by inhalation. Barium phosphate exposure can cause irritation on the skin and mucous membrane.

Conclusion

Barium phosphate is an inorganic salt formed by a reaction between barium carbonate and metaphosphoric acid. The barium phosphate formula is written as Ba3(PO4)2. It has a distinctively high thermal coefficient because of this property they are a very important component used in the glass industry. They are used as primary raw materials in the glass industry.