Beryllium

Description

A lightweight, gray metallic element. Beryllium was discovered in 1797 by Nicholas Vauquelin and later isolated in 1828. Metallic beryllium is the lightest structural metal known. Similar to Aluminum, it is fabricated by rolling and machining. Beryllium metal is used for aircraft and satellites. It is highly permeable to x-rays. It is also used for transmission windows on x-ray detectors. Beryllium is also alloyed with copper, aluminum, or nickel to increase their conductivity.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Be; glucinium ; béryllium (Fr.); berillio (It.); Berílio (Port.); Berilio (Esp.)

Other Properties

Soluble in acids, except nitric, and alkalis.

Composition	Be (atomic no. 4)
CAS	7440-41-7
Melting Point	1280
Density	1.85
Molecular Weight	atomic wt = 9.01218

Hazards and Safety

Known carcinogen. Inhalation of dust is very highly toxic. Soluble beryllium compounds cause dermatitis.

LINK: International Chemical Safety Card

Additional Information

Web Elements: Website

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• Chemical & Engineering News, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 81 (36) , Sept. 8, 2003 Comment: Lee S. Newman

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p.98

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 1201

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998