Historically, barium bromide was used to purify radium in a process of fractional crystallization devised by Marie Curie.
Cytotoxicity can also be monitored using the 3-(4, 5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) or MTS assay.
The Nernst equation shows that hydrogen peroxide can oxidize chloride (E°= 1.36 V), bromide (E°= 1.09 V) and iodide (E°= 0.536 V) from a thermodynamic perspective under natural conditions, i.e., a temperature range of about 0-30 °C and a pH ranging from about 3 (humic soil layer) to about 8 (sea water).
The anticonvulsant properties of potassium bromide were first noted by Sir Charles Locock at a meeting of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society in 1857.