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Beryllium carbide
Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Beryllium carbide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula Be2C. It is a metal carbide.[2] Similar to diamond, it is a very hard compound. It is used in nuclear reactors as a core material.
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Preparation
Beryllium carbide is prepared by heating the elements beryllium and carbon at elevated temperatures (above 950°C). It also may be prepared by reduction of beryllium oxide with carbon at a temperature above 1,500°C:
- 2 BeO + 3 C → Be2C + 2 CO
Beryllium carbide decomposes very slowly in water and forms methane gas:
- Be2C + 2 H2O → 2 BeO + CH4
The rate of decomposition is faster in mineral acids with evolution of methane.
- Be2C + 4 H+ → 2 Be2+ + CH4
In hot concentrated alkali the reaction is very rapid, forming alkali metal beryllates and methane:
- Be2C + 4 OH− → 2 BeO2−2 + CH4
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