Beryllium: 7 Primary Applications For This Chemical Element

How well do you know the chemical element beryllium (symbol Be and electronic number 4) aside from its popularity in gemstones such as emerald, aquamarine and chrysobery? What are the primary commercial applications of the element?

We have listed seven primary applications of beryllium below.

1. Beryllium, best known for its stiffness and light weight, is used for and industries in the production of high-speed aircrafts, missiles, space vehicles and communication satellites.

2. The above characteristics of low weight and high rigidity have also resulted in the use of beryllium for high-frequency speakers. However, due to its expense in comparison to titanium, its usage is limited to high-end home, pro-audio and public address applications.

3. Beryllium is the primary material used to fabricate radiation windows for x-ray tubes because its absorption of x-rays is very low.

4. Honeycomb's large-area mirrors in meteorological satellites are manufactured from beryllium. Moreover small beryllium mirrors are also used in optical guidance systems and in fire-control systems.

5. Because of its non-magnetic quality, tools made of beryllium are used on or near high magnetic fields such as naval mine.

6. Beryllium is utilized in nuclear applications. Thin plates or foils of beryllium are the very outer layer of the plutonium pits in the design of nuclear weapons and are also used as neutron space in laboratory experiences.

7. Beryllium is specifically used in electronic connector applications. Especially, cross-rolled beryllium sheet is in high demand in the fabrication of printed circuit boards in surface mount technology.

Beryllium copper alloys are used in a broad range of market sectors including nuclear power, automotive, oil and gas, electronics and aerospace. These industries have historically represented the largest clientele for copper alloy manufacturers.

History: Early analyses of emeralds and beryls always yielded similar elements, leading to the fallacious conclusion that both substances are aluminium silicates. René Just Haüy discovered that both crystals show strong similarities, and he asked the chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin for a chemical analysis. Vauquelin was able to separate the aluminium from the beryllium by dissolving the aluminium hydroxide in an additional alkali. Vauquelin named the new element "glucinum" for the sweet taste of some of its compounds.

Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine Bussy independently isolated beryllium in 1828 by the chemical reaction

of metallic potassium with beryllium chloride, as follows:

BeCl2 + 2 K → 2 KCl + Be

Etymology: Early usage of the word beryllium can be traced to many languages, including Latin Beryllus; French Béry; Greek βήρυλλος, bērullos, beryl; Prakrit veruliya; Pāli veuriya, veiru or viar – "to become pale," in reference to the pale semiprecious gemstone beryl. The original source is probably the Sanskrit word vaidurya-, which is of Dravidian origin and could be derived from the name of the modern city of Belur. For about 160 years, beryllium was also known as glucinum or glucinium (with the accompanying chemical symbol "Gl"), the name coming from the Greek word for sweet: γλυκυς, due to the sweet taste of beryllium salts.

About/Bio:

IBC Advanced Alloys (http://www.ibcadvancedalloys.com/) is a leading manufacturer and developer of advanced alloys for the global market with a focus on specialty copper alloys and high performance beryllium aluminum castings.