
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.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about beryllium
Here are a few interesting facts about beryllium element.
- Beryllium has a density of 1.85 g/cm3, which makes it the lightest alkaline earth metal.
- The US, China and Kazakhstan are the major producers of beryllium.
- Beryllium is the 44th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
- Beryllium metal is transparent to the X-rays and because of this the X-rays can easily pass through beryllium metal.
- The density of beryllium is 1.85 g/cm3 which is 2/3rd the density of aluminum.
- Beryllium is a toxic metal.
- 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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