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.
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 |
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.
- Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac discovered Ytterbium in the year 1878.
- Ytterbium was given its name from the name of the village “Ytterby” which is in Sweden.
- Ytterbium is not available from one place on the earth. But it is evenly spread on the earth.
- Ytterbium is the 44th most abundant element found from the earth’s crust.
- 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:
- Ytterbium. (n.d.). Ytterbium. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/inchi?ID=C7440644&Mask=20
- 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
- Ytterbium – Wikipedia. (2009, June 6). Ytterbium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ytterbium
- James A. M. & Lord M. P. (1992). Macmillan’s chemical and physical data. Macmillan.
- 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
- 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
- It’s Elemental – The Element Ytterbium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Ytterbium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele070.html
- P. (n.d.). Ytterbium | Yb (Element) – PubChem. Ytterbium | Yb (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Ytterbium
- 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
- 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
- Emsley, J. (2011). Nature’s Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. United Kingdom: OUP Oxford.
- Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
- Electronic structure of the elements. (2000, March). The European Physical Journal C, 15(1–4), 78–79. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02683401
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