Basic beryllium acetate

Basic beryllium acetate is the chemical compound with the formula Be₄O(O₂CCH₃)₆. This compound adopts a distinctive structure, but it has no applications and has been only lightly studied. It is a colourless solid that is soluble in organic solvents.

Basic beryllium acetate

Names
Systematic IUPAC name Hexa-μ-acetato(O,O')-μ4-oxo-tetraberyllium(II)
Other names Beryllium oxyacetate Beryllium oxide acetate Basic beryllium acetate
Identifiers
CAS Number	19049-40-2 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	2299653 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.038.881
EC Number	242-785-4
PubChem CID	3035396
UNII	NL5ZW5U7JX Y
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID80940617
SMILES O1[C-](C)O[Be+2]([O-2]456)(O[C-](C)O2)O[C-](C)O[Be+2]34O[C-](C)O[Be+2]25O[C-](C)O[Be+2]16O[C-](C)O3
Properties
Chemical formula	C 12H 18Be 4O 13
Molar mass	406.3122 g/mol
Appearance	colorless
Melting point	285 °C (545 °F; 558 K)
Boiling point	330 °C (626 °F; 603 K)
Solubility in chloroform	soluble
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards	highly toxic
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)	TWA 0.002 mg/m3 C 0.005 mg/m3 (30 minutes), with a maximum peak of 0.025 mg/m3 (as Be)[1]
REL (Recommended)	Ca C 0.0005 mg/m3 (as Be)[1]
IDLH (Immediate danger)	Ca [4 mg/m3 (as Be)][1]
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Preparation

It can be prepared by treating basic beryllium carbonate with hot acetic acid.

2 Be₂CO₃(OH)₂ + 6 AcOH → Be₄O(AcO)₆ + 5 H₂O + 2 CO₂

Basic beryllium acetate is insoluble in water but soluble in chloroform, consistent with it being nonpolar. It melts and sublimes in a vacuum without decomposition.^[2]

Structure

"Basic acetates" consist of an ensemble of metal centres bound to a central oxide ion, and a collection of acetate ligands. Basic beryllium acetate has a tetrahedral Be₄O⁶⁺ core with acetates (CH₃CO₂⁻) spanning each of the pairs of Be²⁺ centres.^[3][4] It consists of interlocking six-membered Be₂O₃C rings. The structure is relevant to its considerable stability (the compound is distillable at 330 °C).

Schematic structure of basic beryllium acetate

Uses

The solubility of the salt in organic solvents (chloroform) is useful to extract and purify beryllium rich fractions for many purposes. Basic beryllium acetate single crystals can easily be grown and are helpful to align x-ray diffractometers and also as a reference in protein crystallography.

See also

• Basic zinc acetate
• Basic beryllium nitrate

References

1. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0054". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
2. Moeller, T. (1950). "Basic Beryllium Derivatives of Organic Acids". In Audrieth, L. F. (ed.). Inorganic Syntheses, Volume 3. Vol. 3. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 4–9. doi:10.1002/9780470132340.ch2. ISBN 978-0-470-13234-0.
3. Bragg, W. H. (1923). "Crystal Structure of Basic Beryllium Acetate". Nature. 111 (2790): 532. Bibcode:1923Natur.111..532B. doi:10.1038/111532a0.
4. Pauling, L.; Sherman, J. (1934). "The Structure of the Carboxyl Group. II. The Crystal Structure of Basic Beryllium Acetate" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 20 (6): 340–5. Bibcode:1934PNAS...20..340P. doi:10.1073/pnas.20.6.340. PMC 1076415. PMID 16587899.