The uniquely strong and light beryllium is used in the manufacture of cell phones, rockets and aircraft. But when handling this metal, one should be careful, it is considered very toxic.
Its modern name is associated with the beryl mineral, previously it was known as glucinium, from the Greek glykys - “sweet”, which reflected its characteristic taste. But chemists who discovered this unique property of beryllium also found that it was actually very toxic. It is also classified as a carcinogen, it can cause lung cancer in people who are exposed to this element daily due to work on its extraction or processing. But despite this, it is very useful because of its unique qualities. For example, it is extremely lightweight and has one of the highest melting points.
Characterization of Beryllium
Brief information about him can be represented as follows:
- Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 4.
- Atomic symbol (in the periodic table of elements): Be.
- Atomic weight (average atomic mass): 9.012182.
- Density: 1.85 grams per cubic centimeter.
- Condition at room temperature: solid.
- Melting point: 1287 ° C.
- Boiling point: 2471 ° C.
- Number of isotopes (atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons): 12, including one stable isotope.
- The most common isotopes: 9 Be.
Discovery and Use
Beryllium was discovered in 1798 by the French chemist Louis Nicholas Vauclin in the form of oxide in beryl and its variety, a green emerald. The metal was isolated in 1828 by two chemists - Friedrich Weller from Germany and Antoine Bussy from France, who independently reduced beryllium chloride (BeCl 2 ) with potassium in a platinum crucible. Nowadays, it is usually obtained from the minerals of beryl and bertrandite in a chemical process or by electrolysis of a mixture of molten beryllium chloride and sodium chloride.
It is found in approximately 30 minerals. Including bertrandite, beryl, chrysoberyl and phenacite. The first two are the most important sources of the element and its compounds.
It is easily alloyed with copper or nickel in the manufacture of springs, gyroscopes, electrical contacts, spot welding electrodes. Other beryllium alloys are used in high-speed aircraft and rockets, as well as on spacecraft and communications satellites. Beryllium copper is also used in the windshield frame, brake discs, support beams and other structural elements of the space shuttle.
Due to the low absorption cross section of thermal neutrons, it is used in nuclear reactors as a reflector or moderator.
Beryllium Electronic Formula
In an atom, electrons revolve around a center called a nucleus. They are in separate orbits. The first can contain only 2 electrons, the second - 8, and for the first eighteen elements the shell 3 can contain a maximum of 8. The atomic number indicates their number in an electronic formula. Beryllium has a fourth number. Accordingly, in its atom there are 4 electrons.
When writing the electronic formula of beryllium, the first two electrons will go into orbit 1s. Since it can contain only two, the remaining 2 go into orbit 2s. This configuration notation provides scientists with a simple way to display how electrons are located around the nucleus of an atom. This makes it easier to understand and predict their interaction in the formation of chemical bonds.
Thus, the electronic formula of beryllium will look like this: 1s 2 2s 2.
Isotopes
The beryllium element has only one stable isotope 9 Be. 10 Be is formed in the atmosphere by splitting cosmic rays of oxygen and nitrogen. Since beryllium tends to exist in solution at pH levels of less than 5.5 (and most rainwater has a pH of less than 5), it reaches the earth’s surface in exactly this way. As precipitation quickly becomes more alkaline, the element drops out of solution. Gradually, it accumulates on the surface of the soil, where its half-life is about one and a half million years. 10 Be is used to study soil erosion, regolith formation, laterite soil development, as well as changes in solar activity and the age of ice cores.
The instability of the 7 Be and 8 Be isotopes means that, being heavier than beryllium, they could not be obtained as a result of nuclear fusion as a result of the Big Bang. Moreover, the level of nuclear energy of beryllium-8 is such that it makes possible the formation of carbon inside stars and, accordingly, life.