The dubious origin of beryllium toxicity

Abstract

Four mechanisms have been proposed in the literature to explain beryllium toxicity; they can be divided in two groups of two mechanisms: (i) replacement type: models 1 and 2; (ii) addition type: models 3 and 4. At this moment is not possible to select the best model not even to establish if one of these models will be the ultimate mechanism of beryllium toxicity. However, it is important to know the still open discussion about something so important associated with one of the simplest elements of the periodic table.

Beryllium‐Mediated Halide and Aryl Transfer onto Silicon

“…Beryllium and its compounds are categorized as human carcinogens and work with these substances is associated with severe health hazards. [20] As the biochemical mechanisms that cause beryllium associated diseases are still unknown, [21][22][23] special (safety) precautions are strongly advised. [20] Details on the synthesis, experimental setup, and characterization of the described compounds are given in the Supporting Information.…”

“…[19] In general, little is known about beryllium siloxane and silanolate complexes due to the severe health hazards associated with beryllium and its compounds. [20][21][22][23] Only eight compounds are known, which contain a Si-O-Be unit. One is a beryllium silsesquioxane by Edelmann et al [24] Five complexes contain [OSiMe 3 ] À units, of which the three beryllates by Dehnicke and Neumüller [Be 2 Cl 5 (OSiMe 3 )] 2À , [25] [Be 2 Cl 4 (OSiMe 3 ) 2 ] 2À [26] and [Be 2 (N 3 ) 4 (OSiMe 3 ) 2 ] 2À [27] were obtained from the reaction of chlorido or azido beryllates with Me 3 Si-OH.…”

“…This is presumably due to Si‐O bond cleavage, as seen with partially silicon based crown ethers in the presence of BeCl 2 [19] . In general, little is known about beryllium siloxane and silanolate complexes due to the severe health hazards associated with beryllium and its compounds [20–23] . Only eight compounds are known, which contain a Si‐O‐Be unit.…”

A Personal Account on Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms

“…Practical research on Be 2+ cations is a severe challenge owing to the widely known potential toxicological effects [176–180] . Computational chemistry on Be 2+ cations benefits from the closed shell character of the beryllium dication, and that beryllium is included in most quantum chemical methods.…”

“…Practical research on Be 2 + cations is a severe challenge owing to the widely known potential toxicological effects. [176][177][178][179][180] Computational chemistry on Be 2 + cations benefits from the closed shell character of the beryllium dication, and that beryllium is included in most quantum chemical methods. Additional interest arises from the tetrahedral coordination of the smallest dication with a coordination number of four.…”