| Discovery date | 1797 |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Nicholas Louis Vauquelin |
| Origin of the name | The name is derived from the Greek name for beryl, 'beryllo'. |
| Allotropes |
Were did beryllium get its name?
Periodic Table of the Elements Beryllium was discovered by Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin (FR) in 1798. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word beryllos meaning mineral beryl; also called glucinium from the Greek word glykys meaning sweet.
What does the name beryllium mean?
beryllium (Be), formerly (until 1957) glucinium, chemical element, the lightest member of the alkaline-earth metals of Group 2 (IIa) of the periodic table, used in metallurgy as a hardening agent and in many outer space and nuclear applications. Occurrence, properties, and uses
What are the common uses of beryllium?
Uses of Beryllium
- Probably the most important use of beryllium is in radiation windows for X-ray tubes. ...
- Beryllium is used in the pipes of many high-energy particle physics collision experiments (such as the Large Hadron Collider). ...
- Beryllium is used as a lightweight component of military equipment and in the aerospace industry. ...
When was beryllium first discovered?
Beryllium was discovered in 1798 by the French chemist Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, who found it in the oxide form in beryl and a green-colored variety of beryl, emerald.The metal was isolated in 1828...
See more
When did beryllium get its name?
Beryllium was discovered by French chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin (1763-1829) in 1798. Vauquelin suggested the name glucinium, meaning "sweet tasting," for the element because the element and some of its compounds have a sweet taste. The name beryllium was adopted officially in 1957.
Where did beryllium come from?
Beryllium occurs naturally in the earth's crust and in the air, soil and water. Every day, people are exposed naturally to extremely small amounts of beryllium by breathing the air, drinking water and eating food grown in soil. Beryllium is also introduced into our lives through human activities.
Where was beryllium discovered first?
Louis Nicolas VauquelinBeryllium / DiscovererBeryllium was discovered (1798) as the oxide by French chemist Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin in beryl and in emeralds and was isolated (1828) as the metal independently by German chemist Friedrich Wöhler and French chemist Antoine A.B.
What beryllium mean?
Definition of beryllium : a chemical element of the alkaline earth metal group with atomic number 4 that occurs naturally in minerals such as beryl and is steel-gray in color, light and strong but brittle, and is used chiefly as a hardening agent in alloys — see Chemical Elements Table.
Can you eat beryllium?
Swallowing beryllium has not been reported to cause effects in humans because very little beryllium can move from the stomach or intestines into the bloodstream. Ulcers have been seen in dogs ingesting soluble beryllium salts in the diet.
Why is beryllium so toxic?
Most likely, once in the body, beryllium combines with certain proteins, causing the release of toxic substances. These are responsible for the lesions seen in the lungs. Certain cells form masses of tissue called granulomas in response to beryllium.
What does beryllium smell like?
Beryllium has a sweet taste to it, but due to its toxicity it should never be eaten or sampled. It has no odor. It is grey, and light-weight.
Is beryllium a rare earth metal?
This week's element is beryllium (pictured right; courtesy of Alchemist-hp of Wikipedia). This rare element is the lightest of the alkaline earth metals. It has a high melting temperature, low density and low thermal expansion, and it is used in a variety of industrial and military applications.
What does beryllium taste like?
Beryllium was once known as glucinum, which means sweet, since beryllium and many of its compounds have a sugary taste. Unfortunately for the chemists that discovered this particular property, beryllium and many of its compounds are poisonous and should never be tasted or ingested.
How bad is beryllium?
* Breathing Beryllium can irritate the nose, throat and lungs, causing nasal discharge, tightness in the chest, cough, shortness of breath, and/or fever. Bronchitis and/or pneumonia may occur 1-2 days after high exposure. * Eye contact can cause irritation, itching and burning. * Beryllium is a CARCINOGEN in humans.
Is beryllium found in the human body?
beryllium absorption in humans, but data on the rate and extent of absorption of inhaled beryllium in humans is limited. throughout the body. Beryllium first accumulates in the liver, then the lymph nodes and bones. biotransformed, but soluble beryllium salts are partially converted to less soluble forms in the lung.
What is beryllium used for today?
Beryllium is used in gears and cogs particularly in the aviation industry. Beryllium is a silvery-white metal. It is relatively soft and has a low density. Beryllium is used in alloys with copper or nickel to make gyroscopes, springs, electrical contacts, spot-welding electrodes and non-sparking tools.
What is beryllium found in?
1797Beryllium / Discovered
Where is beryllium mined?
With the exception of Spor Mountain and Ermakovskoe, Russia, beryllium production was derived from beryl mined from pegmatite deposits. The United States, Kazakhstan, and China are the only countries known to process beryllium ores and concentrates into beryllium products.
Is beryllium a rare earth metal?
This week's element is beryllium (pictured right; courtesy of Alchemist-hp of Wikipedia). This rare element is the lightest of the alkaline earth metals. It has a high melting temperature, low density and low thermal expansion, and it is used in a variety of industrial and military applications.
Why is beryllium so expensive?
High-purity beryllium is expensive owing to its properties such as high stiffness, lightweight, and high elastic modulus.
Where does beryllium come from?
Beryllium is widely distributed in Earth ’s crust and is estimated to occur in Earth’s igneous rocks to the extent of 0.0002 percent. Its cosmic abundance is 20 on the scale in which silicon, the standard, is 1,000,000.
What are the minerals that contain beryllium?
There are about 30 recognized minerals containing beryllium, including beryl (Al 2 Be 3 Si 6 O 18 , a beryllium aluminum silicate), bertrandite (Be 4 Si 2 O 7 (OH) 2 , a beryllium silicate), phenakite (Be 2 SiO 4 ), and chrysoberyl (BeAl 2 O 4 ). (The precious forms of beryl, emerald and aquamarine, have a composition closely approaching that given above, but industrial ores contain less beryllium; most beryl is obtained as a by-product of other mining operations, with the larger crystals being picked out by hand.) Beryl and bertrandite have been found in sufficient quantities to constitute commercial ores from which beryllium hydroxide or beryllium oxide is industrially produced. The extraction of beryllium is complicated by the fact that beryllium is a minor constituent in most ores (5 percent by mass even in pure beryl, less than 1 percent by mass in bertrandite) and is tightly bound to oxygen. Treatment with acids, roasting with complex fluorides, and liquid-liquid extraction have all been employed to concentrate beryllium in the form of its hydroxide. The hydroxide is converted to fluoride via ammonium beryllium fluoride and then heated with magnesium to form elemental beryllium. Alternatively, the hydroxide can be heated to form the oxide, which in turn can be treated with carbon and chlorine to form beryllium chloride; electrolysis of the molten chloride is then used to produce the metal. The element is purified by vacuum melting.
What are the alpha particles released by radioactive decay of radium atoms?
The alpha particles released by radioactive decay of radium atoms react with atoms of beryllium to give, among the products, neutrons with a wide range of energies—up to about 5 × 10 6 electron volts (eV).
What is beryllium used for?
Beryllium is fabricated into gyroscopes, accelerometers, and computer parts for inertial guidance instruments and other devices for missiles, aircraft, and space vehicles, and it is used for heavy-duty brake drums and similar applications in which a good heat sink is important.
What is the name of the chemical element that is found in the periodic table?
chemical element. Professor, Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. beryllium (Be), formerly (until 1957) glucinium, chemical element, the lightest member of the alkaline-earth metals of Group 2 (IIa) of the periodic table, used in metallurgy as a hardening agent and in many outer space and nuclear applications.
Where is beryl found?
Beryllium is found in beryl and emerald, minerals that were known to the ancient Egyptians. Although it had long been suspected that the two minerals were similar, chemical confirmation of this did not occur until the late 18th century. Emerald is now known to be a green variety of beryl.
Is beryllium a stable metal?
Beryllium is the only stable light metal with a relatively high melting point. Although it is readily attacked by alkalies and nonoxidizing acids, beryllium rapidly forms an adherent oxide surface film that protects the metal from further air oxidation under normal conditions.
When was beryllium discovered?
Beryllium was discovered in 1798, but it was not widely used in industry until the 1940s and 1950s. In industrial applications beryllium can be: used as pure metal. mixed with other metals to form alloys. processed to salts that dissolve in water. processed to form oxides and ceramic materials.
What is beryllium used for?
Beryllium is also added to aluminum, nickel, zinc, and zirconium for some applications. Beryllium-nickel alloys are used in automobile air bags. A relatively new beryllium-aluminum alloy (the registered trademark is "Beralcast") is being used in fighter planes, helicopters, and missile systems.
How is beryllium emitted into the air?
From these sources, beryllium is emitted into the air and water by natural processes like erosion and by the burning of coal and oil. According to data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average concentration of airborne beryllium in the U.S. is very small (0.03 nanogram/cubic meter—a nanogram is one-billionth of a gram).
What are the materials in beryllium?
OTHER BERYLLIUM MATERIALS INCLUDE SOLUBLE SALTS, ALLOYS, AND OXIDE. Soluble salts, such as beryllium fluoride, chloride, and sulfate, are used in nuclear reactors, in glass manufacture, and as catalysts for certain chemical reactions.
Where is beryl mined?
In a very pure crystalline form, beryl is known to us as gems such as blue-green aquamarine and green emerald. Bertrandite is mined in Utah , but other ores and scrap are imported into the U.S., which is the world’s leading producer, processor, and consumer of beryllium products.
Is beryllium a good material?
DESPITE ITS USEFULNESS, BERYLLIUM IS NOT AN IDEAL MATERIAL. It is expensive and too brittle to work with in some applications. The most significant disadvantage of beryllium as an industrial material is the toxicity of its dust, fumes, and soluble salts.
Is beryllium heavier than aluminum?
LIGHTER THAN ALUMINUM, STIFFER THAN STEEL-PROPERTIES THAT MAKE BERYLLIUM USEFUL. Light weight. atomic weight is 9.0122. second lightest of the metals, only 1/3 as heavy as aluminum. density of 1.85 grams per cubic centimeter is similar to magnesium, and 2/3 that of aluminum. Stiffness or rigidity.
Where is beryllium found?
Beryllium occurs naturally in the earth’s crust and in the air, soil and water. Every day, people are exposed naturally to extremely small amounts of beryllium by breathing the air, drinking water and eating food grown in soil.
How do you get beryllium?
Every day, people are exposed naturally to extremely small amounts of beryllium by breathing the air, drinking water and eating food grown in soil. Beryllium is also introduced into our lives through human activities.
What is beryllium hydroxide?
Beryllium hydroxide is the common input material for copper beryllium alloys, beryllia ceramics and pure beryllium metal manufacturing.
Which countries are producing beryllium?
Only three countries, the United States, China and Kazakhstan, currently process commercially viable quantities of beryllium ores and concentrates into beryllium products.
What is the difference between beryl and bertrandite?
Beryl ore is melted in industrial furnaces, solidified and crushed, then treated with sulfuric acid to produce a water-soluble sulfate. Bertrandite ore is crushed, made into slurry and treated with sulfuric acid to form a sulfate.
Where is beryllium found?
Beryllium occurs naturally in the earth’s crust and in the air, soil and water. Every day, people are exposed naturally to extremely small amounts of beryllium by breathing the air, drinking water and eating food grown in soil.
How do you get beryllium?
Every day, people are exposed naturally to extremely small amounts of beryllium by breathing the air, drinking water and eating food grown in soil. Beryllium is also introduced into our lives through human activities.
What is beryllium hydroxide?
Beryllium hydroxide is the common input material for copper beryllium alloys, beryllia ceramics and pure beryllium metal manufacturing.
Which countries are producing beryllium?
Only three countries, the United States, China and Kazakhstan, currently process commercially viable quantities of beryllium ores and concentrates into beryllium products.
What is the difference between beryl and bertrandite?
Beryl ore is melted in industrial furnaces, solidified and crushed, then treated with sulfuric acid to produce a water-soluble sulfate. Bertrandite ore is crushed, made into slurry and treated with sulfuric acid to form a sulfate.
