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Discovered in 1878 by J.C.G. de Marignac in Geneva, Switzerland.
[Named after Ytterby, Sweden]
French: ytterbium
German: Ytterbium
Italian: itterbio
Spanish: yterbio
Description: Ytterbium is a soft, silvery-white metal of the so-called rare earth group (more correctly termed the lanthanide). It is slowly oxidised by air and reacts with water. It has few uses but some is employed in stress gauges.
| Crystal structure: |
(cell dimensions/pm), space group, |
|---|---|
| X-ray diffractions mass absorption coefficients: | CuKa 146(µ/r) / cm2g-1 MoKa 84.5 (µ/r) / cm2g-1 |
| Neutron scattering length: | 1.243 b/10-12 cm |
| Thermal neutron capture cross-section: | 34.8 sa / barns |
| Density: | 6965 kg/m-3 [293 K] |
| Melting point: | 823.85°C / 1097°K |
| Boiling point: | 1192.85°C / 1466°K |
| Molar volume: | 24.84 cm3 |
| Thermal conductivity: | 34.9 [300 K] W m-1K-1 |
| Coefficient of linear thermal expansion: | 25.0 x 10-6 (a axis); 6.1 x 10-6 (b axis); 6.8 x 10-6 (c axis) K-1 |
| Electrical resistivity: | 29.0 x 10-8 [273 K] Ωm |
| Mass magnetic susceptibility: | +1.81 x 10-8(s) kg-1m3 |
| Radi: | Yb3+ 86; Yb2+ 113; atomic 194; covalent 170 |
| Electronegativity: | n.a. (Pauling); 1.06 (Allred); ≤3.5 eV (absolute) |
| Effective nuclear charge: | 2.85 (Slater); 8.59 (Clementi); 11.90 (Froese-Fischer) |
| Number of Isotopes (incl. nuclear isomers): | 29 |
| Isotope mass range: | 154 -> 179 |
| Biological role: | None, but acts to stimulate metabolism. |
|---|---|
| Toxicity | |
| Toxic intake: | n.a. |
| Lethal intake: | LD50 (chloride, oral, mouse) = 6700 mg kg-1 |
| Hazards: | Ytterbium is mildly toxic by ingestion and is a skin and eye irritant. It is also a suspected teratogen.. |
| Level in humans | n.a. but very low |
| Daily dietary intake: | n.a. |
| Total mass of element in average [70 kg] person: |
n.a. |
| Minerals: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral | Formula | Density | Hardness | Crystal apperance |
| Euxenite* | (Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6 | 5.0 | 5.5 - 6.5 | orth., met. greasy black |
| Xenotime* | YPO4 | 4.8 | 4 - 5 | tet., vit./res. yellow-brown |
* These ores contain extractable amounts of ytterbium.
| Chief ores: | euxenite, xenotime |
|---|---|
| World production: | c. 50 tonnes/year |
| Main mining areas: | USA, Canada. Euxenite is also found in Greenland and Brazil |
| Reserves: | c. 1 x 106. |
| Specimen: | available as chipes or ingots. Safe. Yb powder is a skin and eye irritant. Care! |
| Abundances | |
|---|---|
| Sun: | 8 (relative to H = 1 x 1012) |
| Earth's crust: | 3.3 ppm |
| Seawater | |
| Atlantic surface: | 5 x 10-7 ppm |
| Atlantic deep: | 7.5 x 10-7 ppm |
| Pacific surface: | 3.7 x 10-7 ppm |
| Pacifc deep: | 22 x 10-7 ppm |
| Residence time: | 400 years |
| Classification: | recycled |
| Oxidation state: | III |
Source: Emsley, J. (1998) The Elements (3rd Edition)
Other sizes and specifications on request