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In Beryllium
How does beryllium react?
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Chemical reactions of the elements.
Reaction of beryllium with air:Beryllium is a silvery white metal. The surface of beryllium metal is covered with a thin laye…r of oxide that helps protect the metal from attack by air. It does not oxidize in air even at 600°C. However, powdered beryllium metal does burn in air to give a mixture of white beryllium oxide, BeO, and beryllium nitride, Be 3 N 2 . Beryllium oxide is more normally made by heating beryllium carbonate..
2Be(s) + O 2 (g) â 2BeO(s).
3Be(s) + N 2 (g) â Be 3 N 2 (s).
Reaction of beryllium with water:Beryllium metal does not react with water or steam, even if the metal is heated to red heat..
Reaction of beryllium with the halogens:Beryllium metal reacts chlorine, Cl 2 , or bromine, Br 2 , to form the beryllium dihalides beryllium (II) chloride, BeCl 2 , and beryllium (II) bromide, BeBr 2 , respectively..
Be(s) + Cl 2 (g) â BeCl 2 (s).
Be(s) + Br 2 (g) â BeBr 2 (s).
Reaction of beryllium with acids:The surface of beryllium metal is covered with a thin layer of oxide that helps protect the metal from attack by acids, but powdered beryllium metal dissolves readily in dilute acids such as sulphuric acid, H 2 SO 4 , hydrochloric acid, HCl, or nitric acid, HNO 3 , to form solutions containing the aquated Be(II) ion together with hydrogen gas, H 2 ..
Be(s) + H 2 SO 4 (aq) â Be 2 +(aq) + SO 4 2- (aq) + H 2 (g).
Reaction of beryllium with bases:Beryllium metal dissolves readily in dilute aquesous base solutions such as sodium hydroxide, NaOH, to form Be(II) complexes together with hydrogen gas, H 2 . Magnesium (immediately below beryllium in the periodic table) does not do this. ( Full Answer )