Barium vs Lanthanum

Side-by-side comparison of Barium (Ba, element 56) and Lanthanum (La, element 57) by atomic structure and physical properties.

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PropertyBa Barium La Lanthanum
Atomic number5657
SymbolBaLa
NameBariumLanthanum
Categoryalkaline-earth-metallanthanide
Standard Atomic Weight137.327 u138.90547 u
Period66
Group2N/A
Blocksf
Phase at STPSolidSolid
Electron configuration[Xe]6s2[Xe]5d16s2
Oxidation states[1, 2][0, 1, 2, 3]
Electronegativity (Pauling)0.891.1
Electron affinity0.1447 eV0.557546 eV
Density3620 kg/m³6150 kg/m³
Melting point726.85 °C917.85 °C
Boiling point1896.85 °C3463.85 °C
Discovery year18081838

Key Differences

PropertyBa BariumLa Lanthanum
Standard Atomic Weight137.327 u ↓ lower138.90547 u ↑ higher
Density3620 kg/m³ ↓ lower6150 kg/m³ ↑ higher
Melting point726.85 °C ↓ lower917.85 °C ↑ higher
Boiling point1896.85 °C ↓ lower3463.85 °C ↑ higher
Electronegativity (Pauling)0.89 ↓ lower1.1 ↑ higher
Electron affinity0.1447 eV ↓ lower0.557546 eV ↑ higher
Blocks f
Categoryalkaline-earth-metal lanthanide
Electron configuration[Xe]6s2 [Xe]5d16s2
Discovery year1808 1838