2'-hydroxychalcone as an analytical reagent for beryllium

Several o-hydroxychalcones were examined to develop specific reagents for the precipitation of beryllium in the presence of elements such as aluminium and iron, which occur in its ores. All these reagents showed specificity only in the presence of EDTA. Among them, the readily obtainable 2'-hydroxychalcone is proposed as a new specific reagent for beryllium. The chalcone complex can be dried to constant weight at 105-110 degrees and the conversion factor is 0.01978. A probable structure for the complex has been suggested. Quantitative separation of beryllium from aluminium and iron carried out by this method gave good results. This method was applied for the gravimetric determination of beryllium in beryl and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by the oxide and pyrophosphate methods.