LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Beryllium
built 385 days ago
Beryllium is one of the lightest metals known. It presents the designer with a combination of desirable properties not found in any other material. Strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios of beryllium are outstanding. It has the highest specific heat of any metal, as well as excellent thermal conductivity, and it has excellent properties at both elevated and cryogenic temperatures. Beryllium's unique physical properties make it the material of choice for x-ray and nuclear applications. The high stiffness to weight ratio combined with excellent damping properties make it the premier material for acoustics applications.
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Beryllium is not a metal that is often encountered everyday. Although more abundant in the earth's crust than silver, it is more expensive and difficult to produce. The metal itself is very rarely seen, a grey metal formed mainly by powder metallurgy when used as a metal, but more commonly appears as a minor constituent in alloys. Its name comes from the common mineral beryl, which as emerald and aquamarine is an important gemstone, and its chemical symbol is Be. It is ... called glucinium, symbol Gl. Glycium and glycinium have been variant spellings.
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Patients with Beryllium disease who do have symptoms and abnormal breathing tests are typically treated with prednisone. This is a type of corticosteroid that combats inflammation. Treatment with this medication often stabilizes the disease and improves symptoms. Other immune suppressing medicines may ... help.
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Beryllium played an important role in the discovery of the neutron. The nuclear reactions that occurred when fast alpha-particles collided with light nuclei were extensively studied. The (α,p) [alpha in, proton out] reaction was an example, as in N14(α,p)O17. The reaction with Be9 produced a very penetrating radiation, very unlike a fast proton, that was initially believed to be a gamma ray (photon). However, in 1932 Chadwick showed that it was an uncharged massive particle that could eject protons by collision, which a gamma could never do. The reaction was, in fact, Be9(α,n)C12.
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Beryllium enters the air, water, and soil as a result of natural and human activities. Emissions from burning coal and oil increase beryllium levels in air. Beryllium enters waterways from the wearing away of rocks and soil. Most of the man-made beryllium that enters waterways comes when industry dumps waste water and when beryllium dust in the air from industrial activities settles over water. Beryllium, as a chemical component, occurs naturally in soil; ... disposal of coal ash, incinerator ash, and industrial wastes may increase the concentration of beryllium in soil.
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Beryllium can be measured in the urine and blood. The amount of beryllium in blood or urine may not indicate time or quantity of exposure. Beryllium levels can ... be measured in lung and skin samples. While such measurements may help establish that exposure has occurred, other tests are used to determine if that exposure has resulted in health effects. A blood test, the blood beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), identifies beryllium sensitization and has predictive value for CBD. The BeLPT has become the standard test for detecting beryllium sensitization and CBD in individuals who are suspected of having CBD and to help distinguish it from similar conditions such as sarcoidosis.
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Beryllium