Anodic Dissolution of Beryllium in Anhydrous Media

Abstract

When the residual water content of currently used C104- electropolishing solution is reduced to less than 0.1 g/l, the anodic dissolution of beryl l ium fol-lows Faraday's law with a valence of one over an extended range of anodic po-tentials. This result is interpreted in terms of a dissolution mechanism oc-curring in a succession of two individual steps, each involving a simple elec-tron, thus Be ~ Be + § e- (electrochemical step) Be +-k oxidant ~ Be + + (chemical step occurring away from the electrode) Support for the transitory existence of the monovalent ions is derived from thermodynamic considerations allied with the structure of the anodic layer. Microscopic examination of the state of the anode surface during and after the dissolution shows clearly that a mechanical disintegration of the metal lattice by the action of the current cannot be the origin of the anomalous valence observed. On the contrary, it is shown that disintegration of this type