beryllium
Hard, lightweight, silver-white, metallic element, atomic number 4, relative atomic mass 9.012. It is one of the alkaline-earth metals, with chemical properties similar to those of magnesium. In nature it is found only in combination with other elements and occurs mainly as beryl (3BeO.Al2O3.6SiO2). It is used to make sturdy, light alloys and to control the speed of neutrons in nuclear reactors. Beryllium oxide was discovered in 1798 by French chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin (1763–1829), but the element was not isolated until 1828, by Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine-Alexandre-Brutus Bussy independently.
In 1992 large amounts of beryllium were unexpectedly discovered in six old stars in the Milky Way.
| The name comes from Latin beryllus, for the gemstone, beryl. |
