Ytterbium (Yb) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

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

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

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

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

Ytterbium Element (Information Table)

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

Appearance of ytterbium	Silvery white metallic appearance with yellow tint
Atomic number of ytterbium	70
Symbol of ytterbium	Yb
Atomic mass of ytterbium	173.05 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in ytterbium	Protons: 70, Neutrons: 103, Electrons: 70
State of ytterbium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of ytterbium in periodic table	6
Block of ytterbium in periodic table	f-block
Category of ytterbium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in ytterbium	2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2
Electron configuration of ytterbium	[Xe] 4f14 6s2
Orbital diagram of ytterbium
Atomic radius of ytterbium (van der Waals radius)	242 picometers
Density of ytterbium	6.57 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of ytterbium	6.254 eV
Main isotope of ytterbium	174Yb
Melting point of ytterbium	1097 K or 824 °C or 1515 °F
Boiling point of ytterbium	1469 K or 1196 °C or 2185 °F
Crystal structure of ytterbium	Face Centered Cubic (FCC)
Discovery of ytterbium	By Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac in 1878

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).

Ytterbium element in Periodic table

The Ytterbium element (Yb) has the atomic number 70 and is located in period 6. Ytterbium 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 ytterbium

Here are a few interesting facts about the ytterbium element.

1. Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac discovered Ytterbium in the year 1878.
2. Ytterbium was given its name from the name of the village “Ytterby” which is in Sweden.
3. Ytterbium is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
4. Ytterbium is the 44^th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
5. The earth’s crust has a ytterbium in the concentration of 3 ppm by weight.

Properties of ytterbium

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

Physical properties of ytterbium

• Ytterbium has a silvery white metallic appearance with a pale yellow tint.
• Ytterbium is a ductile as well as malleable metal.
• There are many isotopes of ytterbium and the most abundant isotope is ¹⁷⁴Yb.
• Ytterbium metal has a density of 6.57 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 173.05 amu.
• The melting point and boiling point of ytterbium is 1097 K and 1469 K respectively.

Chemical properties of ytterbium

• Ytterbium is a reactive metal and it is always found with other compounds in the earth’s crust.
• Ytterbium easily gets dissolved in mineral acids.
• The ytterbium metal also reacts with water.
• Ytterbium reacts with the atmospheric oxygen and tarnishes easily.
• Ytterbium has an electron configuration of [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ and it is the f-block element because of the last electron entering in the f-orbital.

Uses of ytterbium

Here are some uses of the ytterbium element.

• Ytterbium compounds are used as a catalyst in organic chemical reactions.
• Fiber optic cables also used ytterbium as a doping agent.
• Ytterbium is also present in stainless steel, which increases its strength and other mechanical properties.

External resources:

1. Ytterbium. (n.d.). Ytterbium. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/inchi?ID=C7440644&Mask=20
2. Ytterbium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Ytterbium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/70/ytterbium
3. Ytterbium – Wikipedia. (2009, June 6). Ytterbium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ytterbium
4. James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
5. Bedford, et al. (1996, April 1). Recommended values of temperature on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 for a selected set of secondary reference points. Metrologia, 33(2), 133–154. https://doi.org/10.1088/0026-1394/33/2/3
6. Allred, A. (1961, June). Electronegativity values from thermochemical data. Journal of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry, 17(3–4), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1902(61)80142-5
7. It’s Elemental – The Element Ytterbium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Ytterbium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele070.html
8. P. (n.d.). Ytterbium | Yb (Element) – PubChem. Ytterbium | Yb (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Ytterbium
9. Atomic Weight of Ytterbium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Ytterbium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/ytterbium.htm
10. Possolo, et al. (2018, January 4). Interpreting and propagating the uncertainty of the standard atomic weights (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(2), 395–424. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-0402
11. Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
12. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
13. Electronic structure of the elements. (2000, March). The European Physical Journal C, 15(1–4), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02683401