How was beryllium first isolated as a metal?

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A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors. — alkaline-earth metal Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

Beryllium was first isolated as a metal in 1828 by the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler and the French chemist Antoine Bussy, who achieved the feat independently.12

They isolated the metal through the chemical reduction of beryllium chloride using potassium. This method differed from the electrolytic process used by Sir Humphry Davy to isolate other alkaline-earth metals earlier in 1808. Prior to this isolation, the element had been discovered in 1798 by Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin, who identified it as an oxide (beryllia) extracted from the mineral beryl.12