Beryllium nitrate
# Beryllium nitrate

Beryllium nitrate is an inorganic compound with the idealized chemical formula $Be(NO_3)_2.$ The formula suggests a salt, but, as for many beryllium compounds, the compound is highly covalent. Little of its chemistry is well known. "When added to water, brown fumes are evolved; when hydrolyzed in sodium hydroxide solution, both nitrate and nitrite ions are produced."

## Synthesis and reactions

The straw-colored adduct $Be(NO_3)_2(N_2O_4)$ forms upon treatment of beryllium chloride with dinitrogen tetroxide:

    $BeCl_2$ + 3 $N_2O_4$ → $Be(NO_3)_2(N_2O_4)$ + 2 NOCl

Upon heating, this adduct loses $N_2O_4$ and produces colorless $Be(NO_3)_2.$ Further heating of $Be(NO_3)_2$ induces conversion to basic beryllium nitrate, which adopts a structure akin to that for basic berylium acetate.

Unlike the basic acetate, with its six lipophilic methyl groups, the basic nitrate is insoluble in most solvents.

