Ytterbium
Ytterbium (镱, symbol Yb) is chemical element number 70, a Lanthanide in period 6 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 173.05. Soft, malleable, silvery rare earth. Used in atomic clocks and lasers.
Properties
| Atomic number | 70 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Yb |
| Atomic mass | 173.05 u |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Period | 6 |
| Group | — |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 6s² |
| Electronegativity | 1.1 |
| Covalent radius | 187 pm |
| Density | 6.965 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1097 K |
| Boiling point | 1469 K |
| Discovery | Jean Charles de Marignac, 1878 |
Overview
Soft, malleable, silvery rare earth. Used in atomic clocks and lasers. Ytterbium (Yb) is a Lanthanide with atomic number 70, located in period 6. As a lanthanide (rare-earth) element it closely resembles its neighbours and serves in magnets, phosphors and catalysts.
With 2 electrons in its outermost shell, Ytterbium bonds accordingly; full configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 6s², electronegativity 1.1. At room temperature it is normally a solid; it melts near 1097 K (823.9 °C), boils near 1469 K (1195.9 °C), has a density around 6.965 g/cm³.
Common applications range across Research and Electronics / Semiconductors. It was first described by Jean Charles de Marignac in 1878. Browse elements of the same category in the browse view.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 8 · 2
Main uses
- Research
- Electronics / Semiconductors
Hazard
Compounds containing Ytterbium
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Ytterbium 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.