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Beryllium

9.012182(3

Name: Beryllium
Symbol: Be
Atomic number: 4
Atomic weight: 9.012182(3
CAS Registry ID: 7440-41-7

Group name: Alkaline earth metal
Period number: 2
Block: s-block
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Description

Beryllium is an alkaline earth metal with an atomic weight of 9.012182. It has a melting point of 2349 °F, and a boiling point of 4476 °F. Beryllium is steel grey in color, resists oxidation at normal temperatures, is permeable to x-ray radiation, and is 1/3 more elastic than steel. Current uses of beryllium include: as an allow with nickel to create tools that do not spark, as an alloy with copper to create parts for computers and gyroscopes, in ceramics, and as a component in allow mixtures for high performance aircraft.

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Isolation

Beryllium metal is isolated on a commercial scale and so it is hardly ever isolated using laboratory metals. There are three frequent methods of isolating beryllium.

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The first method of beryllium isolation involves extracting beryllium from the ore beryl which has the chemical formula of Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Beryl is heated with sodium hexaflourosilicate at a temperature of 1292 °F to produce beryllium fluoride. The beryllium fluoride is water soluble and so the next step involves isolating beryllium out through a precipitation process. The beryllium fluoride is mixed with water to create a solution, and by increasing the pH of the solution to 12 the beryllium can be precipitated out as beryllium hydroxide. The second step of beryllium isolation involves using electrolysis of molten beryllium chloride that has been mixed with sodium chloride; the sodium chloride addition is necessary for electrolysis because beryllium does not conduct electricity well. The third isolation beryllium procedure involves heating beryllium fluoride with magnesium metal to 2372 °F; the end products of this isolation procedure yield magnesium fluoride and pure beryllium. The isolations procedures used depend on the tools and material at hand, and how much of a beryllium yield is needed.

General
Name	Beryllium
Symbol	Be
Number	4
Chemical series	alkaline earth metals
Group	2
Period	2
Block	s
Appearance	white-gray metallic
Standard atomic weight	9.012182(3) g·mol−1
Electron configuration	1s2 2s2
Electrons per shell	2, 2

Atomic properties
Crystal structure	hexagonal
Oxidation states	2 (amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	1.57 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies	1st: 899.5 kJ·mol−1
(more)	2nd: 1757.1 kJ·mol−1
(more)	3rd: 14848.7 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius	105 pm
Atomic radius (calc.)	112 pm
Covalent radius	90 pm
Van der Waals radius

Physical properties
Phase	solid
Density (near r.t.)	1.85 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p.	1.690 g·cm−3
Melting point	1560 K (1287 °C, 2349 °F)
Boiling point	2742 K (2469 °C, 4476 °F)
Critical point
Heat of fusion	7.895 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization	297 kJ·mol−1
Heat capacity	(25 °C) 16.443 J·mol−1·K−1

Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering	diamagnetic
Electrical resistivity
Thermal conductivity	(300 K) 200 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion	(25 °C) 11.3 µm·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod)	(20 °C) 35.6 n m/s
Young's modulus	(r.t.) 12870 m·s−1
Shear modulus	132 GPa
Bulk modulus	130 GPa
Poisson ratio	0.032
Mohs hardness	5.5
Vickers hardness	1670 MPa
Brinell hardness	600 MPa
CAS registry number	7440-41-7

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Beryllium

Description

Isolation

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