| abstract | - Although baradium was described as a "synthetic element", it may have existed in some form in naturally-occurring lodes, as quantities of it were discovered on Duro and Anobis after the Yuuzhan Vong War; these may possibly have been industrial by-products, however. During the Republic Dark Age, the surface of Chelloa contained vast deposits of baradium which could be tapped by exploding the ground. When detonated, a baradium weapon produced an incandescent sphere of energy, normally vaporizing everything within it. The destructive force was described as a fusion reaction, and the majority of the energy produced was released as heat. A second component of a baradium explosion was a particle field, which formed the outer surface of the blast sphere, and which was sustained by the energy of the explosion inside: this had the useful effect of containing the destructive effect within a relatively precise perimeter. But although baradium was a very potent explosive, it was also costly to process, and extremely unstable: accidental detonation could be triggered by careless use, and would have a devastating effect. These factors placed important limits on the employment of baradium munitions. Baradium also caused poisoning after detonation.
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