Beryllium Silicates

Beryllium silicate can be prepared by calcining the oxide with silica, SiO2, at an elevated temperature:
BeO + SiO2 +hea?BeSiO3
The so-called “metasilicate” results. This compound appears in nature as beryl, (BeSiO3)3·Al2(SiO3)3 = Be3Al2(SiO3)6, which is a double salt. This is a chain silicate related to a ring-silicate structure. When two oxygen of SiO4⁴⁺ units share bonds with other SiO4⁴⁺ units, the silicates form a ring or an infinite chain. The stoichiometry of the silicate becomes (SiO3)_n^2n-.