why MgSO4 soluble in water whereas BaSO4 is insoluble in water?
In the alkaline earth metals, the lattice energy of sulphates remains constant but the hydration energy decreases from Be2+ to Ba2+ appreciably as the size of cation increases down the group.
Hence, due to decreasing hydration energy , the solubility of sulphates decreases down the group, and as Mg is very smaller than Ba, in size so the MgSO4 but at the bottom of the group the solubility of BaSO4 becomes least and it becomes insoluble in water.