The First Annual Mr. or Ms. Element Contest Introducing the incredibly light Mr. Beryllium

Hi, my name is Beryllium and here are some pictures of me in my raw form: Hi, my name is Beryllium and here are some pictures of me in my raw form:

Here are some of my fashion shots, me in gem form, when Im mixed with aluminum, silicon, and oxygen. Just look how stunning I am in Emerald, Sapphire, Aquamarine and Beryl.

As you can see Im a metal. That means that Im shinny, and a good conductor of heat and electricity. I can be mixed with other metals to make important ALLOYS.

My Properties Interesting Facts About Me Color - steel-gray Color - steel-gray Melting point – 1,287°C Melting point – 1,287°C Boiling point – 2,970°C Boiling point – 2,970°C Nonmagnetic Nonmagnetic Resists oxidation (doesnt rust) Resists oxidation (doesnt rust) Density of g/cm 3 - wow, thats much less than aluminum g/cm 3 Density of g/cm 3 - wow, thats much less than aluminum g/cm 3 Very brittle, a third higher than steel. Very brittle, a third higher than steel. High thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity High thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity Im a carcinogen (I cause cancer if inhaled or exposed to skin or eyes) Im the lightest of all stable metals (lithium catches fire if exposed to water). A beryllium bicycle frame costs $25,000 When mixed with copper, beryllium makes a metal called beryllium bronze, is used in gasoline pumps because it does not cause sparks, which would be an explosion risk.

Alkaline Earth Metal Family The alkaline earth metals are in the second group of the periodic table. Some characteristics of alkaline earth metals are: Not found freely in nature Present in the earth's crust but not in their basic form Distributed in rock structure High boiling points High melting points Low density Silver in color Ductile Malleable Softer and stronger than most other metals (except the alkali metals)

So who discovered me? In 1798 a French chemist, Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin figured out that beryl and emeralds contained a mysterious, unknown element. Scientists were not able to isolate that element until about 30 years later. Scientists once called beryllium "glucinum," another word for sweet, because it has a sugary taste on the tongue. This was before they realized beryllium also is extremely poisonous. Louis-Nicholas Vauquelin

Atomic structure-or what I look like on the inside My Atomic Number is 4 and my Atomic mass Number is 9, therefore I have 4 protons and 5 neutrons in my nucleus and 4 electrons on the outside.

So where can you find me? Most beryllium in the world, about two-thirds of the globe's supply, comes from bertrandite ore mined in Utah in the United States. Most of the rest of it comes from beryl ores in China, although a handful of other countries also have mines with small amounts of beryl. People also are able to capture some beryllium for reuse through recycling.

Who named me beryllium and why? The name beryllium comes from Latin: Beryllus and French: Béryl, "to become pale," in reference to the pale semiprecious gemstone beryl.

Of beryllium's isotopes, only 9Be is stable and the others are relatively unstable or rare. It is thus a monoisotopic element. That means theres only one useful isotope of Beryllium.