How to purify Barium Chlorate

[cmjlab]

50AE - I can imagine I would end with similar results. However my problems are more related to attempting to use a process that I don't truly understand the inner workings of, and/or how to adjust for different setbacks.

[Powderman]

It is very good to know what the solubility of the salt is. Googling revealed that at least 100 grams of Ba chlorate should dissolve in 100ml of boiling water. At 0°C it is only about 20 grams. Dissolving salt to saturated state takes time, the closer to saturation the slower the solving.

There is one thing, we presume that the compound you have is Ba chlorate with some impurity, but who knows how much impurity there is...

[justvisiting]

I find the solubility table on Wikipedia pretty handy:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility_table

 

I don't remember the details but I remember using this table. According to the table, chlorates of sodium, calcium and strontium would still be in solution when the supersaturated barium chlorate solution had precipitated 'some' of the barium chlorate on the string when the solution was cooled.

[cmjlab]

Results of the first test (once it finally thawed), was a very bright green. I attempted to grab a video of it, but my camera changes it to white of course. However, there is a snall tint of yellow that makes the Bari Chlorate green slightly tinted towards yellowish. So my assumption is that the main impurity is in fact sodium, and distilled water will remove enough to make it "acceptable". However, I'm not sure if it's an artifact of dropping the temperature to fast / far, but the precipitate was a powder will some very small crystals.

 

Edit: I used a 90 Barium Chlorate / 10 Shellac mixture to test color.

 

Now onto try the string method.Ill measure the amount of water this time.

 

I appreciate the solubility chart, it's how I decided to try the boiling water to get everything in solution, and was intending to only drop the temperature enough to precipitate Barium out (vs. everything minus some sodium).

Edited October 28, 2022 by cmjlab

[Powderman]

For optimal results the crystals shoud not be too small. I don´t have Ba chlorate so I can´t try how it crystallizes, each salt has its way and it is good to know at which temperature and cooling speed the crystals are formed big enough. After removing crystals the solution can be boiled down to point near saturation again and let crystallize. Product is added to next batch of impure chlorate. Repeated crystallization will lead to pure product and if remaining solution is recycled only little of Ba chlorate will be lost. For boiling down a solution I have found that very fast and clean way to do it is adding a fan close to the pot on hotplate. Blowing on the surface of liquid removes vapours rapidly so it can´t reach the point when big bubbles form and spit small droplets all around.

[cmjlab]

That's a good pointer (fan removing vapors to prevent violent boiling / spitting)- thanks! I'd been using broken pieces of ceramic to help with that. Fan seems like it would help evaporate quicker / more efficiently, and safer.

 

Charles

[Powderman]

Hello, how did it went? Would like to know if the refining process was successful...

[cmjlab]

I haven't tried any further yet. I've been preoccupied with travel for work and making a few Beraq shells. My plan at this point is to purify half of what I have and make green beraq, and probably yellow beraq with the remainder.