Beryllium carbide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a metal carbide. Similar to diamond, it is a very hard compound. It is used in nuclear reactors as a core material.
Beryllium carbide is prepared by heating the elements beryllium and carbon at elevated temperatures (above 950ðC). It also may be prepared by reduction of beryllium oxide with carbon at a temperature above 1,500ðC:
Beryllium carbide decomposes very slowly in water and forms methane gas:
The rate of decomposition is faster in mineral acids with evolution of methane.
In hot concentrated alkali the reaction is very rapid, forming alkali metal beryllates and methane: