Lutetium (Lu) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Lutetium element (Lu) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Lutetium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to lutetium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Lutetium element (Information Table)
• Lutetium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Lutetium
• Properties of Lutetium
• Uses of Lutetium

Lutetium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to lutetium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of lutetium	Silvery white appearance
Atomic number of lutetium	71
Symbol of lutetium	Lu
Atomic mass of lutetium	174.97 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in lutetium	Protons: 71, Neutrons: 104, Electrons: 71
State of lutetium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of lutetium in periodic table	6
Block of lutetium in periodic table	f-block
Category of lutetium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in lutetium	2, 8, 18, 32, 9, 2
Electron configuration of lutetium	[Xe] 4f14 5d1 6s2
Orbital diagram of lutetium
Electronegativity of lutetium (on pauling scale)	1.27
Atomic radius of lutetium (van der Waals radius)	221 picometers
Density of lutetium	9.84 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of lutetium	5.426 eV
Main isotope of lutetium	175Lu
Melting point of lutetium	1925 K or 1652 °C or 3006 °F
Boiling point of lutetium	3675 K or 3402 °C or 6156 °F
Crystal structure of lutetium	Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP)
Discovery of lutetium	By Georges Urbain and Carl Auer von Welsbach (in 1906)

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).

Lutetium element in Periodic table

The Lutetium element (Lu) has the atomic number 71 and is located in period 6. Lutetium is a metal and it is classified as a lanthanide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about lutetium

Here are a few interesting facts about lutetium element.

1. Georges Urbain and Carl Auer von Welsbach discovered lutetium in the year 1906.
2. Lutetium was given its name from the word “Lutetia”, which was the ancient name for Paris.
3. Lutetium is the least abundant lanthanide on the periodic table.
4. The earth’s crust has a lutetium in the proportion of 0.6 ppm by weight.
5. Lutetium is mostly obtained from its ore monazite.

Properties of lutetium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of lutetium.

Physical properties of lutetium

• Lutetium has a silvery white appearance.
• Lutetium has density of 9.84 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 174.97 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of lutetium is 1925 K and 3675 K respectively.
• Lutetium has many isotopes, and the most abundant isotope is ¹⁷⁵Lu.
• Lutetium has a HCP crystal structure.

Chemical properties of lutetium

• Lutetium tarnishes when kept open in the air.
• Lutetium has an electronegativity of 1.27 on the pauling scale.
• Lutetium has a most common +3 oxidation state and it exists as a Lu³⁺ ion in its compounds.

Uses of lutetium

Here are some uses of the lutetium element.

• Lutetium hydroxide is used for cracking hydrocarbons.
• ¹⁷⁶Lu is used to find the age of meteorites.
• ¹⁷⁷Lu is used to treat cancer.

External resources:

1. Lutetium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Lutetium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/71/lutetium
2. Lutetium – Wikipedia. (2020, March 6). Lutetium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutetium
3. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
4. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
5. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
6. It’s Elemental – The Element Lutetium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Lutetium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele071.html
7. P. (n.d.). Lutetium | Lu (Element) – PubChem. Lutetium | Lu (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Lutetium
8. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/71.shtml
9. Atomic Weight of Lutetium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Lutetium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/lutetium.htm
10. Atomic Data for Lutetium (Lu). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Lutetium (Lu). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/lutetiumtable1.htm
11. Lutetium | Lu | ChemSpider. (n.d.). Lutetium | Lu | ChemSpider. http://www.chemspider.com/Chemical-Structure.22371.html?rid=570e512a-ce91-4eb4-87bb-a24aa7f8e813
12. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
13. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
14. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
15. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011