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Beryllium Symbol

Beryllium

Element 4 of Periodic table is Beryllium with atomic number 4, atomic weight 9.012182. Beryllium, symbol Be, has a Simple Hexagonal structure and SlateGray color. Beryllium is a alkaline earth metal element. Trivial name of Beryllium is alkaline earth metals*. Know everything about Beryllium Facts, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Electronic configuration, Atomic and Crystal Structure

Beryllium

Beryllium History

The element Beryllium was discovered by Louis Nicolas Vauquelin in year 1797 in France . Beryllium derived its name from beryl, a mineral

Beryllium is a chemical element with symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is created through stellar nucleosynthesis and is a relatively rare element in the universe. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals.

How to Locate Beryllium on Periodic Table

Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 4 to find Beryllium on periodic table.

Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Beryllium on periodic table look for cross section of group 2 and period 2 in the modern periodic table.

Beryllium Facts

Name
Beryllium
Atomic Symbol
Be
Atomic Number
4
Atomic Weight
9.012182
Phase
Solid
Colour
SlateGray
Classification
alkaline earth metal
Group in Periodic Table
2
Group Name
beryllium family
Period in Periodic Table
2
Block in Periodic Table
s-block
Electronic Configuration
[He] 2s2
Melting Point
1287 °C
Boiling Point
2470 °C
Electronic Shell Structure
[2 2]
CAS Number
CAS7440-41-7

Beryllium Atomic Structure and Orbital Properties

Beryllium atoms have 4 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 2] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 1S0.

beryllium atomic structure
beryllium isotopes

Properties

Atomic Structure of Beryllium

Atomic Number
2
Atomic Radius
112 pm (1.12 Å)
Number of Electrons (with no charge)
2
Atomic Volume
4.87672186147 cm3
Number of Protons
2
Covalent Radius
90 pm (0.9 Å)
Mass Number
9
Van der Waals Radius
NA
Number of Neutrons
5
Neutron Cross Section
0.0092 σa/barns
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level)
[2 2]
Electron Configuration
[He 2s2]
Valence Electrons
2s2
Oxidation State
1 2

Ground State Electronic Configuration of Beryllium - neutral Beryllium atom

The ground state electronic configuration of Neutral Beryllium atom is [He] 2s2. The portion of Beryllium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [He]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used.This is important as it is the Valence electrons 2s2, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.

Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Beryllium

Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Beryllium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration

1s2 2s2

Atomic Spectrum of Beryllium

Atomic Spectrum of Beryllium