Abstract
BERYLLIUM is of interest in the atomic energy field because of its low absorption and high scattering cross-section for thermal neutrons. The metallurgical properties and nuclear applications of the metal have been reviewed recently1. The electrolytic deposition of beryllium from solutions of beryllium compounds in organic solvents2 and in liquid ammonia3 has been studied. In the most recent work4, published immediately before completion of the present investigation, coherent deposits of beryllium of up to 95 per cent purity were obtained during the electrolysis of a solution containing dimethyl beryllium and beryllium chloride etherate in ethyl ether. Deposits obtained from this bath were superior to the powdery deposits obtained by electrolysis of a 2.8 M solution of BeCl2.2(C2H5)2O in ethyl ether. Although one of the commercial methods of manufacturing beryllium involves the high-temperature electrolysis of beryllium chloride5, in alkali halide melts the possibility of recovery and electro-refining of scrap metal by anodic dissolution and cathodic deposition has received little attention.
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Menzies, I. A., thesis, London (1957).
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MENZIES, I., HILL, D. & OWEN, L. Electrolytic Deposition of Beryllium. Nature 183, 816–817 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/183816a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/183816a0
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