The key difference between beryllium and magnesium is that beryllium atom has two energy levels containing its electrons, whereas magnesium atom has three energy levels containing its electrons.
Beryllium and magnesium are two adjacent alkaline earth metals. That means; both these chemical elements are in the same group (group 2), but in different periods, i.e., beryllium is in the 2nd period while magnesium is in the 3rd period.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Beryllium
3. What is Magnesium
4. Side by Side Comparison – Beryllium vs. Magnesium in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is Beryllium?
Beryllium is a chemical element having atomic number 4 and symbol Be. It appears as a shiny grey solid at standard temperature and pressure. Relatively, this element is rare in the universe. It is a divalent element. That means; it can from the +2 oxidation state via removing two of its electrons in the valence shell. The electron configuration of beryllium is [He]2s2. Therefore, it does not have p or d orbitals filled electrons. Hence, it is an s-block element.
Figure 01: Beryllium
Beryllium is a hard metal that is brittle as well. It has a close-packed hexagonal crystal system. The stiffness of this metal is exceptional. Moreover, it has a high specific heat and thermal conductivity. While bonded to other atoms, beryllium has a high atomic and ionic radius because it has a very high ionization potential and a strong polarization.
What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is a chemical element having atomic number 12 and symbol Mg. It occurs as a gray-shiny solid at room temperature. Magnesium is in group 2, period 3 in the periodic table. Therefore, it is an s-block element. It is also an alkaline earth metal (group 2 chemical elements are named as alkaline earth metals). The electron configuration of magnesium is [Ne]3s2.
Figure 02: Magnesium
Magnesium is an abundant chemical element in the universe. In nature, it occurs in combination with other chemical elements. Here, the oxidation state of magnesium is +2. The free metal is highly reactive, but we can produce it as a synthetic material. It can burn, producing very bright light. We call it a brilliant white light. We can obtain magnesium by electrolysis of magnesium salts. These magnesium salts can be obtained from brine.
Magnesium is a lightweight metal, and it has the lowest values for melting and boiling points among alkaline earth metals. Also, this metal is brittle and easily undergoes fracture along with shear bands. When it is alloyed with aluminum, the alloy becomes very ductile.
When exposed to air, magnesium tarnishes. It also does not require an air-free storage space because a thin layer of magnesium oxide protects its surface. And, this magnesium oxide layer is impermeable and is difficult to remove as well.
The reaction between magnesium and water is not as rapid as calcium and other alkaline earth metals. When we submerge a piece of magnesium in water, we can observe hydrogen bubbles emerge from the metal surface. However, the reaction speeds up with hot water. Moreover, this metal can react with acids exothermally, e.g., hydrochloric acid (HCl).
What is the Difference Between Beryllium and Magnesium?
Beryllium and magnesium are two chemical elements in the same group, but two adjacent periods. Beryllium is a chemical element having atomic number 4 and symbol Be, while Magnesium is a chemical element having the atomic number 12 and symbol Mg. The key difference between beryllium and magnesium is that beryllium atom has two energy levels containing its electrons, whereas magnesium atom has three energy levels containing its electrons.
Moreover, the magnesium metal has the lowest melting and boiling points among alkaline earth metals; therefore, the melting and boiling points of beryllium is higher than magnesium. Apart from that, another difference between beryllium and magnesium is that beryllium is diamagnetic, while magnesium is paramagnetic.
Summary – Beryllium vs Magnesium
Beryllium and magnesium are two chemical elements in the same group, but two adjacent periods. The key difference between beryllium and magnesium is that beryllium atom has two energy levels that contain its electrons, whereas magnesium atom has three energy levels containing its electrons.
Reference:
1. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. “Magnesium Facts (Mg or Atomic Number 12).” ThoughtCo, Aug. 2, 2019, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Be-140g” By Alchemist-hp = Alchemist-hp (pse-mendelejew.de) – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “CSIRO ScienceImage 2893 Crystalised magnesium” By CSIRO (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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