Beryllium (Be) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Beryllium element (Be) is in group 2 and period 2 of a periodic table. Beryllium is in the s-block and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to beryllium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Beryllium element (Information Table)
• Beryllium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Beryllium
• Properties of Beryllium
• Uses of Beryllium

Beryllium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to beryllium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of beryllium	Metallic gray color
Atomic number of beryllium	4
Symbol of beryllium	Be
Atomic mass of beryllium	9.012 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in beryllium	Protons: 4, Neutrons: 5, Electrons: 4
State of beryllium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of beryllium in periodic table	2
Period number of beryllium in periodic table	2
Block of beryllium in periodic table	s-block
Category of beryllium	Alkaline earth metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in beryllium	2, 2
Electron configuration of beryllium	[He] 2s2
Orbital diagram of beryllium
Valence electrons in beryllium	2
Electronegativity of beryllium (on pauling scale)	1.57
Atomic radius of beryllium (van der Waals radius)	153 picometers
Density of beryllium	1.85 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of beryllium	9.323 eV
Main isotope of beryllium	9Be
Melting point of beryllium	1560 K or 1287 °C or 2349 °F
Boiling point of beryllium	2742 K or 2469 °C or 4476 °F
Crystal structure of beryllium	Hexagonal closed packing (HCP)
Discovery of beryllium	By Nicholas Louis Vauquelin in 1798

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Beryllium element in Periodic table

The Beryllium element (Be) has the atomic number 4 and is located in group 2 and period 2. Beryllium is in solid state at STP and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

Facts about beryllium

Here are a few interesting facts about beryllium element.

1. Beryllium has a density of 1.85 g/cm³, which makes it the lightest alkaline earth metal.
2. The US, China and Kazakhstan are the major producers of beryllium.
3. Beryllium is the 44th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
4. Beryllium metal is transparent to the X-rays and because of this the X-rays can easily pass through beryllium metal.
5. The density of beryllium is 1.85 g/cm³ which is 2/3^rd the density of aluminum.
6. Beryllium is a toxic metal.
7. Beryllium is not available in its pure form, but it is always obtained from its compounds that are present in the earth’s crust.

Properties of beryllium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of beryllium.

Physical properties of beryllium

• Beryllium is a hard metal having a metallic gray appearance.
• The melting point of beryllium is 1560 K, which is the highest melting point when compared to the melting point of other known light metals.
• Beryllium has higher modulus of elasticity and low density which results in fast sound conduction speed in beryllium (around 12.9km/s).
• Beryllium is transparent to X-rays and gamma rays, so these rays can pass through beryllium.

Chemical properties of beryllium

• Beryllium is reactive metal and it forms a thin oxide layer when kept open in air.
• The electronic configuration of beryllium is [He] 2s², and it loses the 2 valence electrons during a chemical reaction to form a stable duplet.
• Beryllium is toxic in nature.
• Beryllium gets dissolved easily in non oxidizing acids like hydrochloric acid and diluted sulfuric acid.
• Beryllium does not dissolve in water (H₂O) or nitric acid (HNO₃). Because it results in oxides.

Uses of beryllium

Here are some uses of the beryllium element.

• The most important use of beryllium is in making radiation windows for X-ray tubes (as beryllium is transparent to X-rays).
• Beryllium is added to copper which forms an alloy (beryllium copper) that is approximately 6 times stronger than copper.
• Beryllium is also used as a cladding material for nuclear fuel rods.
• Because of the hardness, higher melting point and high capacity to dissipate heat, the beryllium metal was also used in brakes of military airplanes.

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