Safety note: Some of the materials mentioned here are very dangerous. Ask a qualified chemist for advice before handling them. Qualified chemists should check the relevant safety literature before handling or giving advice about unfamiliar substances. NMR solvents are toxic and most are flammable. Beryllium compounds are very toxic. Be especially careful not to inhale or ingest powders and to avoid eye contact.

⁹Beryllium NMR

⁹Beryllium NMR is mostly used to study coordination complexes of beryllium. Each type of signal has a characteristic chemical shift range (fig. 1). The chemical shift ranges for beryllium are generally indicative of the coordination order and type and can, in principle, be used to determine the coordination type. The reference compound, BeSO₄ is actually a 4-coordinated complex [Be(D₂O)₄]SO₄ and resonates at 0 ppm, within the 4-coordinated range.

Fig. 1. Chemical shift ranges for beryllium NMR

⁹Be is a quadrupolar nucleus so yields broad lines, up to several hundred Hertz, for large complexes with reduced symmetry. However, it can yield lines several Hertz wide for small symmetric complexes such as [Be(H₂O)₄]²⁺ (fig. 2).

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Fig. 2. ⁹Be-NMR spectrum of Be(SO₄) (0.43 m) in D₂O

Properties of ⁹Be

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