Alloys with Alkaline Earth Metals

Abstract

No diagram has been found for this system. Optical and X-ray examination of a 85.1 wt% alloy showed the existence of the compound Be₂Rh with a powder pattern similar to Be₂Ir [1]. This has been confirmed more recently in an investigation of alloys containing up to 14.3 wt% beryllium, using X-ray, metallography and hardness tests, although the authors give the compound as RhBe_~2; the compound RhBe was also confirmed, and a eutectic near 13.5 wt% beryllium is suggested. The alloys used were prepared either by vacuum diffusion in a beryllia crucible at 1500 to 1700 K, or by arc-melting under an argon pressure of ~300 Torr. The weight of beryllium in the samples was determined to an accuracy of 1 x 10⁻⁴ g by weighing the samples before and after alloying [2]. A melt of 10 wt% rhodium (1 at%) slowly cooled from the melt was found to be two-phased with a eutectic network [3]. Other compounds reported are RhBe_6.6 and Rh₂Be₁₇ [4, 5]. A Large number of compounds has been examined for superconductivity, none of which was found to have this property; the following were claimed to be prepared and examined: BeRh, Be₂Rh, Be_4.4Rh, Be₅Rh, Be_6.5Rh, Be₁₃Rh, Be₂₂Rh, and Be₄₉Rh [6].