Beryllium

With an atomic weight of 9.01, Beryllium is one of the lightest metals, second only to lithium in this regard. On a pound for pound basis, beryllium is six times stronger than steel, yet it is 2/3 the weight of aluminum. It has a low density at 1.85 g/cc, but a high melting point at 1278 deg C. Like cesium it is very rare having an average crustal abundance of just 1.9 ppm. Beryllium is a toxic element. The pure metallic and oxide forms should not be ingested.

Beryllium is found in alumino-silicate minerals in igneous rocks, mainly granite pegmatites. The main ore minerals of beryllium are Beryl (Be2SiO4) and Bertrandite (4BeO.2SiO2.H2O). Beryl also forms the gemstones emerald and aquamarine. Avalon's Thor Lake deposit contains the richest known beryllium resource in the world. Here the mainly beryllium mineral is Phenakite (Be2SiO4) which contains over 20% BeO, more than double the content of Beryl.

PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF BERYLLIUM

First discovered more than two centuries ago, beryllium was not widely used in industry until the 1940s and 1950s. As an industrial material, beryllium possesses some uncommon qualities such as its ability to withstand extreme heat, remain stable over a wide range of temperatures, and function as an excellent thermal conductor. These attributes make it a unique material suitable for a host of diverse, demanding applications because it can be:

used as pure metal
mixed with other metals to form alloys
processed to form salts that dissolve in water
processed to form oxides and ceramic materials

Combining beryllium with metals such as copper, nickel or aluminum significantly enhances their performance properties. Beryllium-Copper alloy (2% Be and 98% Cu) is the biggest single application for Beryllium. Beryllium ceramics have exceptional thermal resistance and durability.

Electronics: Beryllium copper alloy is used for battery contacts and electronic connectors in cell phones and computers, is often the only material that meets the need for high reliability and miniaturization in these applications. FM radio, high-definition and cable television and underwater fiber optic cable systems also depend on beryllium.
Automotive: Air bag sensors, ignition, power steering and electronic auto systems, fire extinguishers and sprinkler heads all depend on beryllium alloys for optimum performance.
Medicine: The medical profession relies on beryllium for applications in pacemakers and lasers used to analyze blood for HIV and other diseases. And there is no competitive substitute for beryllium in high-resolution x-ray imaging, or in x-ray windows for mammography equipment.
Defense: Military electronic targeting and infrared countermeasure systems use beryllium components, as do advanced missile and radar navigation systems. Beryllium is also a staple material in Apache helicopters, fighter aircraft and tanks, surveillance satellites, and aircraft landing gear components.
Lasers: For ultra-high speed optical laser scanners used in copy machines, photo separators and airport luggage handling, there is no competitive substitute for beryllium.