Barium Nitrate [Ba(N03)2]
Barium nitrate is a white, crystalline, non-hygroscopic material with a melting point of approximately 592°C. It is commonly used as the principal oxidizer in green flame compositions, gold sparklers, and in photoflash mixtures in combination with potassium pert hlorate.
At high reaction temperatures, barium nitrate decomposes according to
This reaction corresponds to 30.6% available oxygen. At lower reaction temperatures, barium nitrate produces nitrogen oxides (NO and NO 2 ) instead of nitrogen gas, as does strontium nitrate 21.
Mixtures containing barium nitrate as the sole oxidizer are typically characterized by high ignition temperatures, relative to potassium nitrate and potassium chlorate compositions. The higher melting point of barium nitrate is responsible for these higher ignition values.