GLUCINUM, or LIUM, a metallic element which occurs in the minerals beryl, chrysoberyl, phenacite and euclase. The name Merylhum* was assigned to it on account of its occurrence in the beryl, and the name on account of the sweetish taste of its salts. Its chemical symbol is sometimes taken as Be, and sometimes as Gl. Glucinum is a dyad with an atomic weight of abOut 9.08, and a specific gravity (when com pressed) of about 1.93. It melts at about 2550° F. It resembles steel in general appear ance, and forms hard, hexagonal crystals which are unaffected by air at ordinary temperatures, and which are scarcely affected by sulphur, even at a red heat, heated in chlorine the metal burns to the chloride, Glai. It dissolves readily in hydro chloric acid. Sulphuric acid and caustic potash or soda also dissolve it, but nitric acid, even when hot, and concentrated, acts upon it very slowly. The specific heat of metallic glucinum
is about 0.400 at ordinary temperatures but it increases rapidly as the temperature rises, and is about 0.58 at F. The oxide of the metal, known as G10, was first ascertained to be a new earth by Vauquelin, who in 1798 obtained it from beryl,.and pointed out that it differs from alumina in several important ways, notably in the fact that it does not form an alum. was first prepared by ti Wohler in 1828, the action of metallic potas sium upon fused eCh. Glucinum forms many salts, but the metal and its compounds are of interest only to the chemist, as they are not used for any purpose in ordinary life. It seems, however, to endow a relatively large quantity of copper with valuable properties.