Page 40 - The Periodic Table Book
P. 40

4
             Be    Beryllium


                                                                                                   Discovery: 1797
                                                                                   4     4     5   State: Solid
       Alkaline Earth Metals                         also be brown, green,               Aquamarine
             Forms
                                                     This mineral can
                                                     or orange.































                                                                                          These crystals have
                                                                                           this pale blue colour
                                                                                          due to iron impurities.
                                                                                                Laboratory sample of
                                                                                                     pure beryllium








                                                                               Beryllium is
                                                                           found in more than
                                                                            30 kinds of
                                                                              mineral.

                      Chrysoberyl
                                                                                             Lightweight
                                                                                                 metal


           This widely used element gets its name              much harder than the other metals in its
           from the Greek word beryllos, after which           group. Two common beryllium minerals are
           the mineral beryl is also named. Beryllium          chrysoberyl and beryl. Beryl has different
           is the lightest of the alkaline earth metals, but    forms, such as aquamarine and emerald.
           it does not share many of the group’s properties.  Beryllium is useful in many ways. For example,
    38     For example, it does not react with water and is    some military helicopters use windows made





   038-039_Beryllium.indd   38                                                                                   12/12/16   5:37 pm
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