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Reference.org
Beryllium-8
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<p>Beryllium-8 (8Be, Be-8) is a <a href="/facts/Radionuclide/5WpCfbdq">radionuclide</a> with 4 <a href="/facts/Neutron/oRCM1geb">neutrons</a> and 4 <a href="/facts/Proton/clCjepXP">protons</a>. It is an unbound <a href="/facts/Resonance_(particle_physics)/aBEXCbzT">resonance</a> and nominally an <a href="/facts/Isotopes_of_beryllium/bNvHB5xg">isotope of beryllium</a>. It has a half-life on the order of 8.19×10−17 seconds, decaying into two <a href="/facts/Alpha_particle/dzNMs9WP">alpha particles</a>. This has important ramifications in <a href="/facts/Stellar_nucleosynthesis/qEQJdJe6">stellar nucleosynthesis</a> as it creates a bottleneck in the creation of heavier <a href="/facts/Chemical_element/0jducgWD">chemical elements</a>. The properties of 8Be have also led to speculation on the <a href="/facts/Fine-tuned_universe/y8SaFx8R">fine tuning</a> of the <a href="/facts/Universe/XbfpnDmM">universe</a>, and theoretical investigations on cosmological evolution had 8Be been stable. </p>