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Solubility of Barium Sulphate in Sea Water

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Abstract

MOST of the elements in solution in sea water are present in smaller amounts than would be expected on the basis of solubility equilibria. The concentrations of many of these elements are controlled by other processes such as ion exchange, adsorption and biological removal. There are, nevertheless, several elements for which solubility may be an important factor affecting abundance and distribution in parts of the ocean. These generalizations are based on comparisons1,2 of the observed concentrations of elements in sea water with those which would be expected from a consideration of their solubility. Even when reliable abundance data are available, however, exact comparisons are precluded by the lack of accurate, experimentally determined values for the solubility in sea water of all but a few compounds and the approximate nature of theoretical calculations which must usually be made using assumed values for the activity coefficients of ions in this complex solution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography, University of Southampton,

    J. D. BURTON, N. J. MARSHALL & A. J. PHILLIPS

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  1. J. D. BURTON
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  2. N. J. MARSHALL
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  3. A. J. PHILLIPS
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BURTON, J., MARSHALL, N. & PHILLIPS, A. Solubility of Barium Sulphate in Sea Water. Nature 217, 834–835 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/217834a0

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