It's element 4, it's in a car door, and it might kill you

 

 

HISTORY
The element Beryllium was founded by a French chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin in 1798. A compound of this element was known in Ancient Egypt as beryl. It was not until Vauquelin discovered it when an experiment studying beryl and emeralds. It was found in both of these. Vauquelin wanted to name the new element glucinium meaning “sweet” in Greek. It was not officially named beryllium until 1957 about 159 years after it was discovered.

 

 

 

INDUSTIAL USES
Beryllium when mixed with other elements makes them stronger and more resistant. For example Beryllium and copper alloy is used for gyroscopes. Three-quarters of all of the Beryllium produced is used in Beryllium-copper alloys. Beryllium alloys are use on space ship components, windshields, brake disks, rocket fuel, and more.

HAZARDS
When exposed to air born beryllium it might scare your lungs forever. This is Chronic Beryllium Disease. You usually are exposed to this deadly element when you are mining, extracting it or when you create alloys that contain Beryllium. In some cases beryllium might give you lung cancer. So stay away from air born beryllium. But it s fine when you are around it when it is in an alloy because it is in solid form.

 

 

COMMERCIAL USES
Beryllium is mainly used in the commercial industry. For example it is used in X-rays filters. You might also find it in an alloy with aluminum for they together make helicopters 3% stronger and 25% lighter. It is also use tool that are used for mining. It is all around us.

ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS
Beryllium has very little environmental impact. For it is found in 30 different minerals. It naturally dissolves into soil and also by human impact. Some plants and food have this element in them. Such as pears and kidney beans. So if it did harm the environment it would be a big problem.

 

 

ECONOMICAL IMPACT
Beryllium is sold widely across the world for it is in so many things. Pure beryllium cost about 530 dollars pure 100 grams. So it is very expensive but it is not use heavily when

Table
Symbol Be
Group Alkali Earth Madals
Atomic Weight 9.01218
State Solid
Color Steel gray
Atomic Number 4

 

To find out more about a Beryllium aluminum alloy go to this website

To check out another cool alloys websiteclick on this weblink

 

Glossary (Definitions from Dictionary.com)

 

Glucinium:

 

 French for “sweet”
Beryl:

A mineral, beryllium aluminum silicate, Be3Al2Si6O18, usually green, but also blue, rose, white, and golden, and both opaque and transparent, the latter variety including the gems emerald and aquamarine: the principal ore of beryllium.
Chronic Beryllium Disease: Scarring of the lungs (very painful)
Alkali Earth Medals:

The second group of medals on the Periodic Table of Elements
Gyroscopes:

A device consisting of a spinning mass, typically a disk or wheel, mounted on a base so that its axis can turn freely in one or more directions and thereby maintain its orientation regardless of any movement of the base.
Resistant: A person or thing that resists.

 

Bibliography

"Beryllium Element Facts." Chemi Cool. 16 Feb. 09 http://www.chemicool.com/elements/beryllium.html.

"Beryllium Hazard Recognition." Untied States Department of Labor. 16 Feb. 09 http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/beryllium/recognition.html.

"Beryllium." Periodic Table of the Elements. 16 Feb. 09 http://ull.chemistry.uakron.edu/periodic_table/.

"Beryllium." Periodic Table of the Elements. 16 Feb. 09 http://periodic.lanl.gov/default.htm.

"Beryllium." Web Elements. 16 Feb. 09 http://www.webelements.com/beryllium/.

"Beryllium." Wikipedia. 16 Feb. 09 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium#Production


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