Beryllium iodide is the

inorganic compound In chemistry, an inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds, that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemist ...

with the

formula In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a ''chemical formula''. The informal use of the term ''formula'' in science refers to the general construct of a relationship betwee ...

BeI₂. It is a

hygroscopic Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption or adsorption from the surrounding environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water molecules become suspended among the substance ...

white solid.

Reactions

Beryllium iodide can be prepared by reacting

beryllium Beryllium is a chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a steel-gray, strong, lightweight and brittle alkaline earth metal. It is a divalent element that occurs naturally only in combination with other elements to form mi ...

metal with elemental

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

at temperatures of 500 °C to 700 °C: : Be + I₂ → BeI₂ Beryllium iodide is also formed when

beryllium carbide Beryllium carbide, or Be2C, is a metal carbide. Similar to diamond, it is a very hard compound.Beryllium Carbide Info ...

reacts with

hydrogen iodide Hydrogen iodide () is a diatomic molecule and hydrogen halide. Aqueous solutions of HI are known as hydroiodic acid or hydriodic acid, a strong acid. Hydrogen iodide and hydroiodic acid are, however, different in that the former is a gas under sta ...

in the

gas Gas is one of the four fundamental states of matter (the others being solid, liquid, and plasma). A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or ...

phase: : Be₂C + 4 HI → 2 BeI₂ + CH₄ Beryllium iodide reacts with

fluorine Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...

giving

beryllium fluoride Beryllium fluoride is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula, formula Beryllium, BeFluorine, F2. This white solid is the principal precursor for the manufacture of beryllium metal. Its structure resembles that of quartz, but BeF2 is hig ...

and fluorides of iodine, with

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

giving

beryllium chloride Beryllium chloride is an inorganic compound with the formula BeCl2. It is a colourless, hygroscopic solid that dissolves well in many polar solvents. Its properties are similar to those of aluminium chloride, due to beryllium's diagonal relations ...

, and with

bromine Bromine is a chemical element with the symbol Br and atomic number 35. It is the third-lightest element in group 17 of the periodic table (halogens) and is a volatile red-brown liquid at room temperature that evaporates readily to form a simila ...

giving beryllium bromide.

Structure

Two forms ( polymorphs) of BeI₂ are known. Both structures consist tetrahedral Be²⁺ centers interconnected by doubly bridging iodide ligands. One form consist of edge-sharing polytetrahedra. The other form resembles

zinc iodide Zinc iodide is the inorganic compound with the formula ZnI2. It exists both in anhydrous form and as a dihydrate. Both are white and readily absorb water from the atmosphere. It has no major application. Preparation It can be prepared by the dir ...

with interconnected adamantane-like cages.

Applications

Beryllium iodide can be used in the preparation of high-purity beryllium by the decomposition of the compound on a hot

tungsten filament An incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is an electric light with a wire filament heated until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb with a vacuum or inert gas to protect the filament from oxida ...

References

{{Iodides Beryllium compounds Iodides Alkaline earth metal halides Inorganic polymers