
Terbium element (Tb) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Terbium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to terbium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Terbium element (Information Table)
- Terbium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Terbium
- Properties of Terbium
- Uses of Terbium
Terbium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to terbium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of terbium | Silvery white appearance |
Atomic number of terbium | 65 |
Symbol of terbium | Tb |
Atomic mass of terbium | 158.93 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in terbium | Protons: 65, Neutrons: 94, Electrons: 65 |
State of terbium (at STP) | Solid |
Period number of terbium in periodic table | 6 |
Block of terbium in periodic table | f-block |
Category of terbium | Inner transition metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in terbium | 2, 8, 18, 27, 8, 2 |
Electron configuration of terbium | [Xe] 4f9 6s2 |
Orbital diagram of terbium | ![]() |
Atomic radius of terbium (van der Waals radius) | 221 picometers |
Density of terbium | 8.22 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of terbium | 5.864 eV |
Main isotope of terbium | 159Tb |
Melting point of terbium | 1629 K or 1356 °C or 2473 °F |
Boiling point of terbium | 3396 K or 3123 °C or 5653 °F |
Crystal structure of terbium | Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP) |
Discovery of terbium | 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).
Terbium element in Periodic table
The Terbium element (Tb) has the atomic number 65 and is located in period 6. Terbium 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 terbium
Here are a few interesting facts about the terbium element.
- Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered terbium in 1843.
- Terbium was given its name from the name of a small village of Sweden “Ytterby”.
- The earth’s crust has a concentration of 0.9 ppm by weight.
- Terbium is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
- The most common mineral of terbium is “monazite”.
Properties of terbium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of terbium.
Physical properties of terbium
- Terbium is a metal that has a silvery white appearance.
- Terbium is a soft metal and it can even be cut with a knife.
- The density of terbium is 8.22 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 158.93 amu.
- Terbium has a HCP crystal structure.
- The melting point and boiling point of terbium is 1629 K and 3396 K respectively.
- There are many isotopes of terbium, but out of those isotopes, the most abundant isotope is 159Tb.
Chemical properties of terbium
- Terbium metal is reactive and it is always found as a compound with other elements in the earth’s crust.
- Terbium generally forms 3+ ions during a chemical reaction.
- When the 3+ ions are excited by the appropriate wavelength of light, they emit a green light.
Uses of terbium
Here are some uses of the terbium element.
- Terbium is used in euro notes as it glows green in color.
- Terbium chloride is used to detect microbes.
- Magnets are also prepared by alloying terbium with neodymium and dysprosium. These magnets can retain their magnetism even at higher temperatures.
- Terbium is also used as a phosphor in color TV tubes. This is because terbium ions can emit green light.
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