"Super Rare Earth" - Beryllium Discovered in Northwest China

Beryllium is honored as "super rare earth" and has been discovered in Northwest China, many people may not know much about this kind of metal, but when it comes to the well-known opal, you must be familiar with it, especially the diversified luster that is fascinating, with light changing, the cat's eye will open and close beautifully for a while inside the opal.

However, have you ever thought about a question, why the opal possesses such a luster? The pure beryllium is highly toxic and is internationally recognized carcinogens. But the natural compound is non-toxic and beautiful. People mainly use its aluminosilicate compound as an emerald, which is called aquamarine by ancient people.

The density of beryllium is about the same as magnesium, which is two-thirds of aluminum. The stiffness is comparable to tungsten, which is four times of aluminum. Its melting point is about 128 degrees Celsius. This kind of metal is small in density and strong in hardness. with the development of aviation, national defense and nuclear physics, the metal and its compounds began to be used gradually from the 1930s to 1940s.

Today, this metal is widely used in aerospace, nuclear reactor because of its superior physical properties. It is not only the treasure of nuclear reactors but also an excellent aerospace material. In atomic reactors, beryllium is the best neutron moderator. In the aerospace field, it is lightweight and strong, and it has become a rare aerospace material.

It is also the basis of laser weapons. The visible light reflectance is 50%, the ultraviolet reflectance is 55%, and the infrared reflectance is 98%. Moreover, its density is lighter than silicon carbide, so it is considered to be the most ideal space optical system material, even applied in the famous new successor of the Hubble telescope, James Webb. So, some scholars simply call them "super rare earth."

Although it possesses many excellent properties, its reserves in the world are extremely small. In the early days, the scale of production was very small. It was not until after World War II that this situation has improved. In 2015, the global production was only 349 tons, the US produced about 250 tons, China produced about 50 tons, and the former Soviet Union held about 40 tons. The trade in this metal is very sensitive and is generally not allowed to be sold publicly. The US only allows certain countries to export, and foreign companies are not allowed to sell this metal originating in the US without America consent.

This large "super rare earth" beryllium deposit in the northwestern part of Xinjiang is currently the largest deposit in Asia. The proven resources here are as much as 52,000 tons, although the current processing technology is still considered as absolute confidential by all countries. However, China is constantly improving related technologies and strives to catch up the world-level.

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