A white precipitate of barium sulfate forms if sulfate ions are present. The hydrochloric acid is added first to remove any carbonate ions that might be present - they would also produce a white precipitate, giving a false positive result. Barium nitrate solution can be used instead of barium chloride solution
Air has a heat capacity of about 700 Joules per kg per °K and a density of just 1.2 kg/m3, so its initial energy would be 700 x 1 x 1.2 x 293 = 246,120 Joules