In 1798, mineralogist Rene Just Hauy discovered similarities in the crystal structure and properties of beryl and emerald, and this led to the discovery of the element beryllium. Its atomic number is 4.
Beryl, a mineral, appears in different colours. For instance, Emerald, a variety of beryl, is green in colour. This made Hauy wonder if these two minerals have something in common. He approached Nicolas Loius Vaunquelin, a French chemist who specialized in the analysis of minerals, and he discovered a new sweet-tasting substance in them both. This substance is now called beryllia, BeO.
Beryllium was isolated from its salts in 1828 by Friederich Wohler in Germany and by Antonie Bussy in France, independently. It is the 44th most abundant element on Earth and has two-thirds the density of aluminium. It is a non-magnetic element and is used in nuclear reactors as a reflector and absorber of neutrons. Due to their lightweight nature, beryllium alloys are used in the aerospace industry for high-performance aircraft, satellites and spacecraft. Beryllium-copper alloy also makes spark-proof tools. The United States, China, and Kazakhstan are the only countries that process beryllium ores into high-performance products.
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