Density 1.92 g/cm³ | ||
Appearance Vivid white, opaque crystals Related compounds | ||
2016 2021 global beryllium hydroxide industry trends survey and prospects report
Beryllium hydroxide, Be(OH)2, is an amphoteric hydroxide, dissolving in both acids and alkalis. Industrially, it is produced as a by-product in the extraction of beryllium metal from the ores beryl and bertrandite. The natural pure beryllium hydroxide is rare (in form of the mineral behoite, orthorhombic) or very rare (clinobehoite, monoclinic). When alkali is added to beryllium salt solutions the α-form (a gel) is formed. If this left to stand or boiled, the rhombic β-form precipitates. This has the same structure as zinc hydroxide, Zn(OH)2, with tetrahedral beryllium centers.
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Reactions
With alkalis it dissolves to form the tetrahydroxidoberyllate(2-) anion. With sodium hydroxide solution:
2NaOH(aq) + Be(OH)2(s) → Na2Be(OH)4(aq)With acids, beryllium salts are formed. For example, with sulfuric acid, H2SO4, beryllium sulfate is formed:
Be(OH)2 + H2SO4 → BeSO4 + 2H2OBeryllium hydroxide dehydrates at 400 °C to form the soluble white powder, beryllium oxide:
Be(OH)2 → BeO + H2OFurther heating at higher temperature produces acid insoluble BeO.