Barium metaborate
A white or clear inorganic compound used in optics and as a pigment
No single value: Barium metaborate is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, white.
Barium metaborate is a chemical compound made from barium, boron, and oxygen, found as a white powder or colourless crystals. It is valued for its optical properties and is used in pigments, flame retardants, and as a component in nonlinear optical devices.
- Used in nonlinear optical devices and as a white pigment
- Exists as white powder or clear crystals
- Acts as a flame retardant and mould inhibitor in paints
- Beta form is key for producing linked photons
- Resistant to ultraviolet light and used in radiation-shielding glass
What colour is Barium metaborate?
Barium metaborate appears as either a white powder or clear, colourless crystals. It stands out for its strong optical qualities, especially its ability to split light into two rays (birefringence) and its usefulness in devices that manipulate light. The compound is stable, resists ultraviolet light, and is often used where both optical clarity and chemical durability are needed.
Where does Barium metaborate come from?
This compound is a borate, meaning it contains boron and oxygen, combined with barium. Its various forms were developed through laboratory research, with different crystal structures discovered by heating and applying pressure. The name comes from its chemical makeup, not from a place or person.
How is Barium metaborate made?
Barium metaborate can be created by reacting boric acid with barium hydroxide in water. Other forms are made by combining barium sulfide with sodium tetraborate, or sodium metaborate with barium chloride. For optical uses, crystals are grown from a molten mixture that includes sodium oxide and sodium chloride. The compound can also be produced as thin films using chemical vapour methods.
Where Barium metaborate is used
It is widely used in making optical devices, such as prisms and beam splitters, because of its ability to handle high-powered light and its wide transparency range. As a pigment, it is added to paints, coatings, and plastics, often to prevent mould, corrosion, or fire. It also finds use in ceramics, especially in making capacitors, and in glass for radiation shielding.
White around the world
What the white family means from country to country.
The Taliban flag is white with the Muslim declaration of faith in black. It replaced the black, red and green tricolour of the republic in 2021.
Politics and protestSacred and holySource: Flag of AfghanistanThe Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo wore white headscarves as they marched to demand news of children who disappeared under the dictatorship of 1976 to 1983.
Politics and protestMourning and deathCourageSource: Mothers of Plaza de MayoThe wiphala, a square flag of 49 small squares in seven colours with a white diagonal, stands for the Andean peoples. It has been a second national flag since 2009.
Politics and protestPrideSource: WiphalaOn New Year's Eve crowds on the beaches dress in white for peace in the year ahead. The custom comes from the Afro-Brazilian religions, whose followers wear white.
Luck and prosperityFestival and celebrationSacred and holyHopeSource: New Year's EveAn ordinary citizen's kabney is white with fringes. It must be worn to enter a dzong, the fortress that houses both monks and government offices.
Purity and peaceSource: KabneyA red cross on white, the Swiss flag reversed, marks medical staff and aid workers in war and must not be attacked under the Geneva Conventions.
Protection and healingTrustSource: Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent MovementShades and relatives of Barium metaborate
Barium metaborate exists in several forms, mainly alpha, beta, and gamma, each with different crystal structures and properties. The beta form is especially important for optical applications. There are also hydrated versions, such as monohydrate and dihydrate, which are used for specific industrial purposes.
Questions people ask about Barium metaborate
What colour is barium metaborate?
It is usually found as a white powder or as clear, colourless crystals, depending on its form.
Where does the name barium metaborate come from?
The name reflects its chemical composition: it is a borate (contains boron and oxygen) with barium.
What is barium metaborate used for?
It is used in optical equipment, as a pigment in paints and plastics, as a flame retardant, and in ceramics and radiation-shielding glass.
How is barium metaborate made?
It can be made by reacting boric acid with barium hydroxide, or by other chemical combinations involving barium and boron compounds.
Are there different forms of barium metaborate?
Yes, it has several forms (alpha, beta, gamma), each with different crystal structures and uses.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Barium borate", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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