Beryllium Silicates

Williams prepared beryl, Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆, artificially in 1873. In 1894 Traube precipitated a solution containing 3 molecules of beryllium sulphate and 1 molecule of aluminium sulphate with sodium silicate. The precipitate was transformed into beryl by heating for three days at 1700° C. with one quarter of its weight of boric anhydride.

Hautefille and Perrey obtained emerald, which has the same composition as beryl, by heating a mixture of silica, alumina, beryllia, and lithium hydrogen molybdate. At temperatures above 800° C. emerald is converted into phenacite, Be₂SiO₄. They also obtained phenacite by heating a mixture of silica, beryllia, lithium vanadate, and lithium carbonate.

Stein obtained an orthosilicate, Be₂SiO₄, and a metasilicate, BeSiO₃, by fusing beryllia and silica in proper proportions.

Duboin prepared some complex silicates containing beryllia and potassium oxide.