How to Research Beryllium

Beryllium, the fourth element in the periodic table, is a metallic element often used as an alloying agent, and has a combination of physical properties that make it especially useful in the aerospace industry. This element has much to offer students not only of science but also of history, and a little research will yield plenty of information about this fascinating element.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A periodic chart
• A computer with Internet access

1. Read up on Greek roots and history. Look for information on why beryllium is named for the Greek word "beryllos" meaning beryl. Be sure to look for facts about how beryllium was first discovered as the oxide in beryl.
2. Look for information about why the discovery of beryllium is credited to Nicholas-Louis Vauquelin in 1798. Read up on scientific history to find out beryllium was independently isolated in 1828 by A. A. Bussy and Friedrich Wohler.
3. Study geology to understand where beryllium is primarily found, and why it is primarily present in the minerals beryl and bertrandite, and examine world economics to see why it is mined mainly in the United States, China, Russia and Brazil. Also study mining and chemical manufacturing techniques to learn how most beryllium is extracted by reducing beryllium fluoride with magnesium metal.
4. Search chemistry and physics Web sites and books to learn about the best-known aspect of beryllium—it has a combination of physical properties that make it especially useful in the aerospace industry. Make sure to look for facts about beryllium's appearance, reactivity and other chemical and physical properties.
5. Look for information on chemical properties to understand why beryllium-copper alloys are used in structural components of the space shuttle and other aerospace craft due to their stiffness and light weight. Study industrial applications, including the fact that the high electrical and heat conductivity of beryllium-copper alloys also make them useful in electrical contacts. Look for additional uses for beryllium, like as foil in X-ray lithography for making integrated circuits since beryllium is transparent to X-rays.

Tips & Warnings

• Compounds of beryllium are poisonous. Even dust of the powdered metal or its oxide may cause serious illness when inhaled. Early researchers actually tasted beryllium, but this highly dangerous procedure is no longer necessary.