Be, symbol for the element beryllium.

Aqtöbe or Aktöbe, formerly Aktyubinsk, city (1993 est. pop. 264,000), NW Kazakhstan, on the Ilek River and the Kazalinsk RR. Aqtöbe has an important ferroalloy plant and chromium complex based on nearby ore deposits. Founded in 1869, the city grew rapidly with the expansion of metallurgical industries during World War II.

Aktöbe or Aktyubinsk: see Aqtöbe, Kazakhstan.

City (pop., 2006 est.: 1,528,687), west-central Honshu, Japan. It is situated on Omacrsaka Bay and occupies a narrow shelf of land between mountains and the sea. With neighbouring cities Omacrsaka and Kyōto, it is the centre of a major industrial zone. Until the Meiji Restoration it was only a fishing village, but it grew rapidly in the late 19th century. It was severely bombed during World War II and was entirely rebuilt after 1945. It suffered a major earthquake in 1995. Kōbe is an important Japanese port and a centre of shipbuilding and steel production; it is the seat of Kōbe University.

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Chemical element, lightest of the alkaline earth metals, chemical symbol Be, atomic number 4. It does not occur uncombined in nature but is found chiefly as the mineral beryl (of which emerald and aquamarine are gemstone varieties). Beryllium metal, particularly in alloys, has many structural and thermal applications; it is used in nuclear reactors. Beryllium has valence 2 in all its compounds, which are generally colourless and taste distinctly sweet. All soluble beryllium compounds are toxic. Beryllium oxide is used in specialized ceramics for nuclear devices, and beryllium chloride is a catalyst for organic reactions.

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