
Erbium element (Er) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Erbium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to erbium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Erbium element (Information Table)
- Erbium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Erbium
- Properties of Erbium
- Uses of Erbium
Erbium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to erbium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of erbium | Silvery white appearance |
Atomic number of erbium | 68 |
Symbol of erbium | Er |
Atomic mass of erbium | 167.26 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in erbium | Protons: 68, Neutrons: 99, Electrons: 68 |
State of erbium (at STP) | Solid |
Period number of erbium in periodic table | 6 |
Block of erbium in periodic table | f-block |
Category of erbium | Inner transition metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in erbium | 2, 8, 18, 30, 8, 2 |
Electron configuration of erbium | [Xe] 4f12 6s2 |
Orbital diagram of erbium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of erbium (on pauling scale) | 1.23 |
Atomic radius of erbium (van der Waals radius) | 216 picometers |
Density of erbium | 9.06 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of erbium | 6.022 eV |
Main isotope of erbium | 166Er |
Melting point of erbium | 1802 K or 1529 °C or 2784 °F |
Boiling point of erbium | 3141 K or 2868 °C or 5194 °F |
Crystal structure of erbium | Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP) |
Discovery of erbium | By Carl Gustaf Mosander in 1843 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Erbium element in Periodic table
The Erbium element (Er) has the atomic number 68 and is located in period 6. Erbium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about erbium
Here are a few interesting facts about erbium element.
- Erbium was given its name from the name of a small village “Ytterby”, which is in Sweden.
- The earth’s crust contains around 3 ppm (by weight) of erbium.
- Gadolinite and euxenite are the major ores of erbium from which the majority of erbium is extracted.
- Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered erbium in the year 1843.
Properties of erbium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of erbium.
Physical properties of erbium
- Erbium has a silvery white appearance.
- The melting point and boiling point of erbium is 1802 K and 3141 K respectively.
- There are many isotopes of erbium, and out of those isotopes the most abundant isotope is 166Er.
- Erbium has a density of 9.06 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 167.26 amu.
- Erbium has HCP crystal structure.
Chemical properties of erbium
- Erbium does not react easily with the atmospheric oxygen at room temperature.
- Erbium shows a reaction with water.
- It also gets dissolved in acids.
- The most common oxidation state of erbium is 3+ and the salts of erbium appear light pink in color.
Uses of erbium
Here are some uses of the erbium element.
- Erbium is used as a control rod in nuclear reactors, because it has a capacity to absorb neutrons.
- Erbium is also used in lasers to treat skin problems.
- Erbium is a soft metal and it is added to other hard metals to reduce their hardness.
- The oxides of erbium is used in glasses to give a pink tint.
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