The working principle of barium sulfate is mainly reflected in its physical and chemical properties. Barium sulfate is a high-density white powder that is difficult to dissolve in water, acid, alkali or organic solvents. These properties make it widely used in medicine and industry.
Medical application
In medicine, barium sulfate is mainly used for gastrointestinal contrast imaging, especially barium meal examination. Barium meal examination is to observe the performance of barium through the esophagus, stomach and duodenum under X-ray irradiation by oral barium sulfate contrast agent to determine whether there are lesions in these parts. Barium sulfate absorbs a large amount of X-rays due to its high density, thus forming a bright image on the X-ray film, which forms a sharp contrast with the surrounding tissue, making the outline of the digestive tract, mucosal morphology and any abnormalities clear at a glance. This technology is mainly used to detect upper gastrointestinal tract lesions such as esophagitis, esophageal cancer, etc.
Industrial application
Barium sulfate is also widely used in the industrial field. It can be used as a raw material for analytical reagents, electronics, instruments, metallurgy and other industries. In addition, barium sulfate is also a non-toxic white pigment used to make white fillers, such as rubber, papermaking and plastics. Its high density also makes it used in copper smelting fluxes and drilling muds to increase specific gravity.