Essential Properties and Chemical Character of Beryllium. 37 



November 18, 1880. 



THE PRESIDENT in the Chair. 



In pursuance of the Statutes, notice of the en suing Anniversary 

 Meeting was given from the Chair. 



General Boileau, Mr. Currey, Mr. De La Rue, Mr. Hudson, and 

 Mr. Matthey, having been nominated by the President, were elected 

 by ballot Auditors of the Treasurer's Accounts on the part of the 

 Society. 



The Presents received were laid on the table and thanks ordered for 

 tliem. 



The following Papers were read : — 



I. " On the Essential Properties and Chemical Character of 

 Beryllium (Glucinum)." By L. F. NlLSON and Otto 

 Pettersson. Communicated by Warren De La Rue, 

 D.C.L., F.R.S. Received June 21, 1880. 



In this paper we wish to call attention to some experimental facts 

 which may give a clue to the real nature of beryllium, an element 

 which since the beginning of this century has been the enigma of 

 inorganic chemistry. 



The oxide of beryllium was discovered in 1795 by Vauquelin. It 

 was considered a monoxide, BeO, until 1815, when Berzelius* ranged 

 it, principally on account of its basic sulphates, among the sesqui- 

 oxides. The weighty reasons for this arrangement, never since refuted, 

 which Berzelius added later in the tilth edition of his " Lehrbuch d. 

 Chemie," p. 1225, are too well known to be recorded here. 



In 1842 Awdeefff analysed the double sulphates and fluorides of 

 beryllium, which showed qualities not agreeing entirely with the analo- 

 gous compounds of aluminium, iron, chromium, &c. As the formula 

 of these compounds could be written 



KO,S0 3 + BeO,S0 3 , 

 ££i+Be¥l, 



this was considered by the chemists of that time to support strongly 

 the old theory. Still the classification of Berzelius prevailed and was 

 confirmed by H. Rose, J who showed the correspondence of the mole- 



* "Schweigg. Journ. f. Ch. u. Ph.," xv, p. 296. 



f " Pogg. Ann.," Ivi, p. 10]. 



X " Pogg. Ann.," lxxiv, p. 429. 

 VOL. XXXI. E 



