
Thulium element (Tm) is in period 6 of a periodic table. Thulium is in the f-block and it is classified as a lanthanide on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to thulium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Thulium element (Information Table)
- Thulium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Thulium
- Properties of Thulium
- Uses of Thulium
Thulium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to thulium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of thulium | Silvery white metallic appearance |
Atomic number of thulium | 69 |
Symbol of thulium | Tm |
Atomic mass of thulium | 168.93 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in thulium | Protons: 69, Neutrons: 100, Electrons: 69 |
State of thulium (at STP) | Solid |
Period number of thulium in periodic table | 6 |
Block of thulium in periodic table | f-block |
Category of thulium | Inner transition metals |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in thulium | 2, 8, 18, 31, 8, 2 |
Electron configuration of thulium | [Xe] 4f13 6s2 |
Orbital diagram of thulium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of thulium (on pauling scale) | 1.25 |
Atomic radius of thulium (van der Waals radius) | 227 picometers |
Density of thulium | 9.32 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of thulium | 6.184 eV |
Main isotope of thulium | 169Tm |
Melting point of thulium | 1818 K or 1545 °C or 2813 °F |
Boiling point of thulium | 2223 K or 1950 °C or 3542 °F |
Crystal structure of thulium | Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP) |
Discovery of thulium | By Per Teodor Cleve in 1803 |
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).
Thulium element in Periodic table
The Thulium element (Tm) has the atomic number 69 and is located in period 6. Thulium 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 thulium
Here are a few interesting facts about thulium element.
- Per Teodor Cleve discovered thulium in the year 1879.
- Thulium was given its name from the region “Thule”. This is the earliest name of Scandinavia (which is a region in North Europe).
- Thulium is only 0.5 ppm by weight in the earth’s crust.
- Thulium is the rarest of the rare earth metals present on the periodic table.
- Majority of thulium is obtained from the ores like monazite, gadolinite and xenotime.
Properties of thulium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of thulium.
Physical properties of thulium
- Thulium metal has a silvery white appearance.
- Thulium is soft and it can even be cut with a knife.
- Thulium has a density of 9.32 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 168.93 amu.
- The melting point and boiling point of thulium is 1818 K and 2223 K respectively.
Chemical properties of thulium
- Thulium tarnishes easily when it is kept open in the air.
- Thulium also reacts with water and forms hydroxide. During this reaction, it liberates hydrogen gas.
- Thulium is reactive metal and because of this it is always found with other compounds from the earth’s crust.
- Thulium is present as a Tm3+ ion in its compounds.
Uses of thulium
Here are some uses of the thulium element.
- Thulium is used as an alloying metal with other metals to get the improved properties.
- Thulium is used for doping the fiber lasers.
- Thulium is also used in eurocurrency notes to detect the fake notes.
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