<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> <Ul> <Li> view </Li> <Li> talk </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> references in Wikidata </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> view </Li> <Li> talk </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Barium is a chemical element with symbol Ba and atomic number 56 . It is the fifth element in group 2 and is a soft, silvery alkaline earth metal . Because of its high chemical reactivity, barium is never found in nature as a free element . Its hydroxide, known in pre-modern history as baryta, does not occur as a mineral, but can be prepared by heating barium carbonate . </P> <P> The most common naturally occurring minerals of barium are barite (barium sulfate, BaSO) and witherite (barium carbonate, BaCO), both insoluble in water . The barium name originates from the alchemical derivative "baryta", from Greek βαρύς (barys), meaning "heavy ." Baric is the adjectival form of barium . Barium was identified as a new element in 1774, but not reduced to a metal until 1808 with the advent of electrolysis . </P>

Where can barium be found in the world