What is Beryllium?
Beryllium in the periodic table
Beryllium is a silvery-white, and relatively soft alkaline earth metal of group 2 of the periodic table with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. The metal is found in various minerals on our earth. Beryl (beryllium aluminium silicate) and bertrandite (beryllium silicate) are the most important mineral of this metal.
Most of the world’s beryllium can be mined and extracted in two countries like the United States and Russia. It is alloyed with other metals to make cell phones, missiles, and aircraft.
The alkaline earth metal beryllium was discovered by the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin in 1798. He found the oxide form of the metal in beryl and a green-colored variety of beryl. It was isolated in 1828 by two chemists, Friedrich Wölhler and Antoine Bussy.
Properties
It is a steel gray and hard metal that is brittle at room temperature and adopts a close-packed hexagonal crystal structure. The four electrons in beryllium distributed to show the electronic configuration of [He] 2s2. Therefore, it may lose two valence electrons to show a +2 oxidation state or number.
- Relative atomic mass: 9.012
- State at 20°C: Solid
- Melting point: 1287 °C, 1560 K
- Boiling point: 2468 °C, 2741 K
- Density (g/cm3): 1.85
- CAS number: 7440–41–7
- Chem Spider ID: 4573986
Beryllium is non-magnetic alkaline earth metal that holds excellent thermal conductivity and resists the attack of concentrated nitric acid. It also resists oxidation when exposed to air at standard temperature and pressure.
Facts about Beryllium
- It is found in 30 different minerals on our earth of which bertrandite, phenakite, and Beryl are the most important.
- The extraction of beryllium from its compounds is a difficult process because it has a high affinity for oxygen at elevated temperatures.
- It is very hard compared to the other members of the alkaline earth family in the periodic table.
- It reacts with oxygen at a very high temperature (above 600 ℃) to form beryllium oxide (BeO).
- Most the beryllium compounds are covalent in nature due to the high positive charge density and polarising power.
- It does not react with water under any temperature while other alkaline earth metals do react upon heating.
- Beryllium does not readily liberate hydrogen from dilute acid while other alkaline earth metals can liberate hydrogen from dilute acid.
- Beryllium is a toxic alkaline earth metal or a cancer-causing substance. Therefore, we need appropriate dust control equipment during the use of this metal. It causes a chronic life-threatening allergic disease called berylliosis.
Uses of Beryllium
- Beryllium is an alloying component of various metals to increase their strength, electrical and thermal conductivity
- It is alloyed with copper or nickel. Mixing beryllium with copper or nickel increases their electrical and thermal conductivity. These alloys are used for making gyroscopes, springs, electrical contacts, spot-welding electrodes, and non-sparking tools.
- May other alloys of beryllium are used in structural materials for high-speed aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and communication satellites. It is also a component of several dental alloys.
- It is a p-type dopant in semiconductor devices.
- The alkaline earth metal Be is relatively transparent to X-rays and other forms of ionizing radiation. Therefore, it is the most common component for X-ray window and particle detector equipment.
- In nuclear power reactors, it is used as a reflector or moderator of neutrons.
References
https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/4/beryllium
https://www.priyamstudycentre.com/2021/01/beryllium.html
