Beryllium :: Research Papers Essays

BerylliumBeryllium is a highly toxic metal and if exposed to it, at or above the threshold values, it can lead to a chronic glucinium disease (CBD) (i.e. berylliosis) or an acute beryllium disease. Toxic exposure to beryllium is close to often thru an inhalation pathway. Beryllium has a variety of effects. Some beryllium combines with a protein and is deposited in the liver, spleen and kidneys, but the beryllium when bound with a biologic protein, a hapten, can result in the chronic form of the disease which is believed to be a delayed hypersensitivity immune response. The major toxicological effects of beryllium are on the respiratory tract,specifically the lungs and their alveoli.Beryllium and its unique characteristic led to it being used widely in a variety of industries prior to is fare 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 forceful increases in the regulation in beryl lium use so as to protect those that directly handle and act as 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 importation sweet, because of Vauquelins initial description and observation of Beryllium. Berylliums atomic number is 4, its atomic weight is 9.01 and in its pure metal form it melts at 1278 degrees Celsius.The Beryllium element, an alkaline humans metal which belongs to group II of the periodic table, was first discovered in 1798 by L.M. Vauquelin. Vauquelin,a French chemist, was doing work with aluminum and noticed a white pulverisation that was nothing like that of aluminum or any of its derivatives. Vauquelin named this mystery powder, gluinium because of its sweet taste was like that of glucose. In 1828, Wohler, a German metallurgist reduced it to its golden form and renamed it beryllium.(figure 2) There was no commercial application of beryllium until 1918 when Cooper patented a beryllium-aluminum alloy, which turn into the jump-start, into extending berylliums application.Following Coopers patent of the beryllium alloy, Charles II in 1921, was intrigued by berylliums light weight, extreme stiffness, high heat absorption and interesting nuclear cross section.