Capturing an amorphous BaSO4 intermediate precursor to barite
Cristina Ruiz-Agudo, David McDonogh, Jonathan Thomas Avaro, David Joshua Schupp and Denis Gebauer CrystEngComm DOI: 10.1039/c9ce01555h
Abstract: The work presented here investigates the early stages of barium sulfate crystallization from aqueous solutions. By monitoring free-barium activity during the crystallization, we identified a metastable BaSO4 phase that precedes barite formation. Ex situ investigations provide direct, unambiguous experimental evidence of an amorphous BaSO4 phase in an additive-free scenario.