Beryllium :: Research Papers Essays

BerylliumBeryllium is a highly deadly metal and if exposed to it, at or above the threshold values, it can lead to a chronic beryllium disorder (CBD) (i.e. berylliosis) or an acute beryllium disease. Toxic exposure to beryllium is around often thru an inhalation pathway. Beryllium has a variety of personal effects. Some beryllium combines with a protein and is deposited in the liver, spleen and kidneys, but the beryllium when bound with a biological protein, a hapten, can result in the chronic be of the disease which is believed to be a delayed hypersensitivity immune response. The major toxicologic effects of beryllium are on the respiratory tract,specifically the lungs and their alveoli.Beryllium and its rum characteristic led to it being used widely in a variety of industries prior to is know toxic effects. Today it is know that beryllium is a highly toxic material which results in devastating toxic effects on the lungs. There has been drastic increases in the regulation i n beryllium use so as to protect those that directly cover and work with the metal. With theses regulations, beryllium is fairly safe to work with and use in a variety of products and industries. In the following text, there will be a description of beryllium confusing history and toxic effects on the respiratory system of man. Beryllium has the symbol Be. In the older chemical literature, beryllium is called glucinium after the Greek word glykys import sweet, because of Vauquelins initial description and observation of Beryllium. Berylliums atomic number is 4, its atomic burden is 9.01 and in its pure metal form it melts at 1278 degrees Celsius.The Beryllium element, an alkalescent earth metal which belongs to group II of the periodic table, was first ascertained in 1798 by L.M. Vauquelin. Vauquelin,a French chemist, was doing work with aluminum and noticed a white powder that was nothing like that of aluminum or any of its derivatives. Vauquelin named this mystery powder, gl uinium because of its sweet taste was like that of glucose. In 1828, Wohler, a German metallurgist reduced it to its metallic form and renamed it beryllium.(figure 2) There was no commercialised application of beryllium until 1918 when Cooper patented a beryllium-aluminum alloy, which turn into the jump-start, into extending berylliums application. spare-time activity Coopers patent of the beryllium alloy, Charles II in 1921, was intrigued by berylliums light weight, intense stiffness, high heat absorption and interesting nuclear cross section.