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Encyclopedia of Geochemistry pp 1–3Cite as

Beryllium

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Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

FormalPara Element Data

Atomic symbol: Be

Atomic number: 4.

Atomic weight: 9.01218.

Stable isotope: 9Be (9.0121822 amu): 100 %; Relevant radioisotopes: 10Be (t1/2 ≈ 1.38 Ma), 7Be (t1/2 ≈ 53.28 days)

1 Atm melting point: 1287 °C

1 Atm boiling point: 2471 °C

Valence: + 2.

Ionic radius: 0.41 Å (tetrahedral); 0.59 Å (octahedral)

Pauling electronegativity: 1.57

First ionization potential: 9.322

CI chondritic abundance: 0.025 ppm

Continental crust: 1.9 ppm

Silicate Earth: 0.07 ppm

Seawater: 0.0018 pg/g

Core abundance: ~ 0

(Earthref.org, 2016; McDonough, 2004; Palme et al., 2014)

Properties

Beryllium, the lowest atomic number alkaline earth element, is a steel-gray, brittle, lightweight metal. It is most commonly encountered in a small number of silicate and oxide minerals and occurs as a low abundance, lithophile trace element in most geologic systems.

History and Use

Beryllium was discovered by Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin in 1798 in the oxide form via extraction from emerald and beryl. In 1828,...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL, 33620, USA

    Jeffrey G. Ryan

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  1. Jeffrey G. Ryan
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Correspondence to Jeffrey G. Ryan .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Ryan, J.G. (2016). Beryllium. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_80-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_80-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9

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