Barium Ferrate, BaO.FeO₃.H₂

Barium Ferrate, BaO.FeO₃.H₂O, may be obtained by precipitating potassium ferrate with barium nitrate, or chloride, or by acting on barium chromate with sodium ferrate. It forms a purple- red powder, extremely insoluble in water, and is the most stable of the ferrates. When heated it decomposes into oxygen, ferric oxide, and barium oxide. It may also be formed by the action of strontium ferrate on barium sulphate, oxalate, or carbonate. It is not affected by dilute sulphuric acid in the cold, but is completely decomposed by boiling sulphuric acid. With dilute nitric or hydrochloric acid there is almost instantaneous decomposition with formation of salts of iron and of barium, and, in the case of the hydrochloric acid, with evolution of chlorine also. Barium ferrate dissolves also in organic acids.