Beryllium

From Citizendium
Revision as of 23:34, 9 May 2010 by imported>David Yamakuchi
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This article is a stub and thus not approved.
Main Article
Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
MSDS [?]
Isotopes [?]
Properties [?]
 
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.

Beryllium is a chemical element, having the chemical symbol Be.

Beryllium
9.012182(3)



  Be
4
[He] 2s2
[ ? ] Alkaline Earth Metal:

Its atomic number (the number of protons) is 4. It has a Standard Atomic Weight of 9.012182(3), and is typically found as a solid in its elemental form.

Beryllium is considered to be a member of the "Alkaline Earth Metal" class of elements, has a boiling point of 2471 °C , and a melting point of 1287 °C .

Beryllium is toxic to living organisms.

It is a strategic material in nuclear weapons, specifically acting as a neutron reflector surrounding the fission core, increasing its neutron density, and decreasing the size of the device. A beryllium reflector was first used operationally in the U.S. Mark 12 (nuclear weapon),