Lutetium
Lutetium (镥, symbol Lu) is chemical element number 71, a Lanthanide in period 6 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 174.97. Hardest and densest of lanthanides. Used in petroleum cracking catalysts.
Properties
| Atomic number | 71 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Lu |
| Atomic mass | 174.97 u |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Period | 6 |
| Group | — |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹ 6s² |
| Electronegativity | 1.27 |
| Covalent radius | 187 pm |
| Density | 9.84 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1925 K |
| Boiling point | 3675 K |
| Discovery | Urbain, von Welsbach, James, 1907 |
Overview
Hardest and densest of lanthanides. Used in petroleum cracking catalysts. Lutetium (Lu) holds position 71 in the periodic table, a Lanthanide in period 6. As a lanthanide (rare-earth) element it closely resembles its neighbours and serves in magnets, phosphors and catalysts.
Its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d¹ 6s², with 2 electrons in the outer shell, and an electronegativity of about 1.27 (Pauling). Around 25 °C it is usually a solid; it melts near 1925 K (1651.9 °C), boils near 3675 K (3401.9 °C), has a density around 9.84 g/cm³.
In industry and daily life it turns up in Catalysis, Medical / Pharma and Research. It was first described by Urbain, von Welsbach, James in 1907.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 9 · 2
Main uses
- Catalysis
- Medical / Pharma
- Research
Hazard
Compounds containing Lutetium
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Lutetium yet.
Data sources
Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.