Beryllium Compounds

Abstract

Beryllium is a hard, gray element that does not occur naturally in nature. Only two beryllium minerals are of commercial importance for the production of beryllium: bertandite and beryl. Beryllium is found in compounds that are typed as either soluble in water or not. Beryllium oxide is the most important of these compounds. Ceramic‐grade beryllium oxide has been manufactured and beryllia ceramics offer the advantage of a unique combination of high thermal conductivity and heat capacity with high electrical resistivity. Beryllia ceramics parts are frequently used in electronics and microelectronic applications. Addition of BeO to uranium oxide pellets results in longer life of the fuel. The other beryllium compounds discussed in this article are carbide, carbonates, carboxylates, halides, hydride, hydroxide, intermetallic compounds, nitrate, nitride, oxalate, and sulfate. Beryllium‐containing materials can be potentially harmful if handled.