 Electrolysis of a mixture of beryllium fluoride and sodium fluoride was used to isolate beryllium during the 19th century . The metal 's high melting point makes this process more energy @-@ consuming than corresponding processes used for the alkali metals . Early in the 20th century , the production of beryllium by the thermal decomposition of beryllium iodide was investigated following the success of a similar process for the production of zirconium , but this process proved to be uneconomical for volume production . 
