View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Research Commons@Waikato Chemistry in New Zealand July 2015 The chemistry and metallurgy of beryllium Onyekachi Raymond, 1 Lakshika C. Perera,2 Penelope J. Brothers,2 William Henderson, 1 Paul G. r- Plieger3·* r 1Chemistry, School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 2School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 3Chemistry, Institute of Fundamental Science, Massey University, Palmerston North (email:
[email protected]) Keywords: beryllium, Ugands, chronic beryllium disease, coordination chemistry Introduction Aluminium Oxide Beryllium (Be), the first of the group 2 alkali-earth ele � ments, is a silver-gray metal possessing an unmatched Boron Nitride combination of physical and mechanical properties, which are vital for a variety of applications that offer tre Silicon Carbide � mendous benefits to society. It is the lightest workable Aluminium Nitride metal, only two-thirds the weight of aluminium, yet it has six times the stiffness of steel, making it an ideal mate Beryllium Oxide rial for stiffness-dependent and weight-limited applica tions. The chart in Fig. 1 illustrates how much beryllium 0 50 100 150 200 250 outclasses other engineering materials with respect to Thermal Conductivity (W/m.K) thermal conductivity and dimensional stability (ability of a material to retain its uniformity under stress measured Magnesium as the Young's modulus to density ratio). These unique properties of beryllium translate into performance en Steel hancement in the end product, for instance the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST: see Fig. 2).