Editing Beryllium (section)

==Extraction==
The extraction of beryllium from its compounds is a difficult process due to its high affinity for oxygen at elevated temperatures, and its ability to reduce water when its oxide film is removed. Currently the United States, China and Kazakhstan are the only three countries involved in the industrial-scale extraction of beryllium.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beryllium.com/About-Beryllium/Sources%20of%20Beryllium.aspx |title=Sources of Beryllium |publisher=Materion Corporation |access-date=23 December 2016 |archive-date=24 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224032844/https://beryllium.com/About-Beryllium/Sources%20of%20Beryllium.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Kazakhstan produces beryllium from a concentrate stockpiled before the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|breakup of the Soviet Union]] around 1991. This resource had become nearly depleted by mid-2010s.<ref>[https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prd-wret/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/beryllium/myb1-2016-beryl.pdf "Beryllim"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703215605/https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/prd-wret/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/beryllium/myb1-2016-beryl.pdf |date=3 July 2021 }} in ''2016 Minerals Yearbook''. [[USGS]] (September 2018).</ref>

Production of beryllium in Russia was halted in 1997, and is planned to be resumed in the 2020s.<ref>[https://tass.ru/ural-news/6431308 Уральский производитель изумрудов планирует выпускать стратегический металл бериллий] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011032850/https://tass.ru/ural-news/6431308 |date=11 October 2021 }}. TASS.ru (15 May 2019)</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurasianbusinessbriefing.com/russia-restarts-beryllium-production-after-20-years/ |title=Russia restarts beryllium production after 20 years |date=20 February 2015 |publisher=Eurasian Business Briefing |access-date=22 February 2018 |archive-date=31 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731154457/http://www.eurasianbusinessbriefing.com/russia-restarts-beryllium-production-after-20-years/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Image:Beryllium (Be).jpg|thumb|A bead of beryllium from a melt]]
Beryllium is most commonly extracted from the mineral [[beryl]], which is either [[sintering|sintered]] using an extraction agent or melted into a soluble mixture. The sintering process involves mixing beryl with [[sodium fluorosilicate]] and soda at {{convert|770|C|F}} to form [[Tetrafluoroberyllate|sodium fluoroberyllate]], [[aluminium oxide]] and [[silicon dioxide]].<ref name="deGruyter" /> [[Beryllium hydroxide]] is precipitated from a solution of sodium fluoroberyllate and [[sodium hydroxide]] in water. The extraction of beryllium using the melt method involves grinding beryl into a powder and heating it to {{convert|1650|C|F}}. The melt is quickly cooled with water and then reheated {{convert|250|to|300|C|F}} in concentrated [[sulfuric acid]], mostly yielding [[beryllium sulfate]] and [[aluminium sulfate]]. Aqueous [[ammonia]] is then used to remove the aluminium and sulfur, leaving beryllium hydroxide.<ref name="deGruyter" />

Beryllium hydroxide created using either the sinter or melt method is then converted into [[beryllium fluoride]] or [[beryllium chloride]]. To form the fluoride, aqueous [[ammonium hydrogen fluoride]] is added to beryllium hydroxide to yield a precipitate of ammonium [[tetrafluoroberyllate]], which is heated to {{convert|1000|C|F}} to form beryllium fluoride.<ref name="deGruyter" /> Heating the fluoride to {{convert|900|C|F}} with [[magnesium]] forms finely divided beryllium, and additional heating to {{convert|1300|C|F}} creates the compact metal.<ref name="deGruyter" /> Heating beryllium hydroxide forms [[beryllium oxide]], which becomes beryllium chloride when combined with carbon and chlorine. [[Electrolysis]] of molten beryllium chloride is then used to obtain the metal.<ref name="deGruyter" />