The Production of Beryllium

Abstract

The production of beryllium metal by reducing beryllium fluoride with magnesium is described. Impure grades of beryllium oxide are dissolved in aqueous solutions containing ammonium bifluoride. The solution so formed is purified by a precipitation procedure, the precipitate separated by filtration, and the pure filtrate evaporated and crystallized to produce pure crystals of ammonium beryllium fluoride. These crystals are decomposed by heating into beryllium fluoride and ammonium fluoride which latter is recovered and returned to the process. Metallic beryllium is produced by heating the beryllium fluoride at temperatures below the melting point of beryllium with an amount of magnesium less than stoichiometrically required. The temperature is then raised to melt the beryllium which is recovered in the form of a solid plate after cooling. The beryllium fluoride content in the remaining magnesium fluoride slag is extracted with water and returned to the process. Data are given on analyses of the products involved.