Barite is reduced with coke to BaS (black ash), leached in water and reprecipitated as BaCO3; metallic Ba comes from aluminothermic reduction of BaO under vacuum.
Research Elements Ba · atomic number 56 Alkaline earth metal · period 6, group 2 [Xe] 6s2 Shells: 2, 8, 18, 18, 8, 2 Valence electrons: 2 in the outer shell (6s2) Green dots are the outer shell's s and p electrons. Softer green dots are the d electrons of transition metals, and the d and f electrons of lanthanides and actinides: they often take part in bonding, but not always. Grey dots are the core. Ground-state configuration from the NIST Atomic Spectra Database (A. Kramida, Yu. Ralchenko, J. Reader and the NIST ASD Team). Abundance is the mole fraction of the element found as that isotope on Earth; digits in parentheses are the uncertainty in the last digits. Masses and abundances from NIST, Atomic Weights and Isotopic Compositions (J. S. Coursey, D. J. Schwab, J. J. Tsai and R. A. Dragoset, National Institute of Standards and Technology).Barium
Electrons
How it's obtained
Natural isotopes
Isotope Relative atomic mass Abundance 130Ba 129.9063207(28) 0.00106(1) 132Ba 131.9050611(11) 0.00101(1) 134Ba 133.90450818(30) 0.02417(18) 135Ba 134.90568838(29) 0.06592(12) 136Ba 135.90457573(29) 0.07854(24) 137Ba 136.90582714(30) 0.11232(24) 138Ba 137.90524700(31) 0.71698(42)