How to Produce Beryllium Oxide

Beryllium is a Group Two metal on the periodic table, with the symbol Be and the atomic number four. It is a light, strong metal with a high melting point of 1,280 degrees Celsius (2,336 degrees Fahrenheit), is resistant to acids and has a high thermal conductivity. These properties make Beryllium useful in a number of applications as a metal, as part of an alloy (such as beryllium-copper or beryllium-aluminum) or as beryllium oxide.



Beryllium oxide is used by a number of industries including telecommunication and computer industries which use it in high technology ceramics in electronic heat sinks, electrical insulators, microwave oven components, gyroscopes, military vehicle armor, rocket nozzles, crucibles, nuclear reactor fuels, thermocouple tubing, laser structural components, substrates for high-density electrical circuits and automotive ignition systems -- and as an additive to glass, ceramics, and plastics.



Beryllium hydroxide is the starting material for the production of beryllium, beryllium oxide and beryllium alloys.

Things You'll Need

• Acetyl acetone
• Carbon tetrachloride
• Crude beryllium hydroxide
• Filter
• Deionized water
• Sulphuric acid
• Industrial alcohol
• Oven
• Industrial furnace

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Prepare 5 liters of a mixture containing a 1:2 ratio of acetyl acetone and carbon tetrachloride. So, use 1.7 liters acetyle acetone and 3.3 liters carbon tetrachloride. Dissolve 360 grammes of crude beryllium hydroxide in 5 liters of the acetyl acetone-carbon tetrachloride mixtures

• 2

  Filter with 2 liters of deionized water to remove any impurities. Then filter with 3 liters of 3.8 molar sulphuric acid to obtain a solution of beryllium sulphate.

• 3

  Boil the solution of beryllium sulphate down to 1 liter, resulting in a solution of concentrated beryllium sulphate. Pour the concentrated beryllium sulphate solution into 1 liter of industrial alcohol that has been chilled to minus 50 degrees Celcius. Continuously cool this solution so that it never exceeds 10 degrees Celcius, otherwise the beryllium suphate will remain trapped in the solution. The result will be the precipitation of fine beryllium sulphate tetrahydrate crystals.

• 4

  Separate the beryllium sulphate tetrahydrate crystals by filtration and wash with alcohol.

  Then heat the beryllium sulphate tetrahydrate crystals to 120 degrees Celcius for four hours in a shallow bed under partial vacuum. This will convert beryllium sulphate tetrahydrate crystals to beryllium sulphate dihydrate crystals.

• 5

  Heat the beryllium sulphate dihydrate crystals in a furnace at a temperature of 1,000 degrees Celcius to produce beryllium oxide. This act of heating at such high temperatures in air is called calcining.