Yttrium (Y) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Yttrium element (Y) is in group 3 and period 5 of a periodic table. Yttrium is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.

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

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

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

Yttrium Element (Information Table)

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

Appearance of yttrium	Silvery white metallic appearance
Atomic number of yttrium	39
Symbol of yttrium	Y
Atomic mass of yttrium	88.906 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in yttrium	Protons: 39, Neutrons: 50, Electrons: 39
State of yttrium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of yttrium in periodic table	3
Period number of yttrium in periodic table	5
Block of yttrium in periodic table	d-block
Category of yttrium	Transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in yttrium	2, 8, 18, 9, 2
Electron configuration of yttrium	[Kr] 4d1 5s2
Orbital diagram of yttrium
Electronegativity of yttrium (on pauling scale)	1.22
Atomic radius of yttrium (van der Waals radius)	219 picometers
Density of yttrium	4.472 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of yttrium	6.217 eV
Main isotope of yttrium	89Y
Melting point of yttrium	1799 K or 1526 °C or 2779 °F
Boiling point of yttrium	3203 K or 2930 °C or 5306 °F
Crystal structure of yttrium	Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP)
Discovery of yttrium	By Johan Gadolin in 1794

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).

Yttrium element in Periodic table

The Yttrium element (Y) has the atomic number 39 and is located in group 3 and period 5. Yttrium is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.

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

Facts about yttrium

Here are a few interesting facts about yttrium element.

1. Yttrium was given its name from “Ytterby”, which is a small town in Sweden.
2. Out of all the rare earth metals, the yttrium was discovered first.
3. The concentration of yttrium in the earth’s crust is approximately 31 ppm.
4. Yttrium is the 28^th most abundant element present in the earth’s crust.
5. Yttrium is always found as a compound with other elements in the earth’s crust.
6. China, Russia, India, Malaysia and Australia are the leading producers of yttrium.

Properties of yttrium

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

Physical properties of yttrium

• Yttrium is solid metal having a silvery white metallic appearance.
• Out of all the isotopes of yttrium, the stable isotope is ⁸⁹Y.
• Yttrium has an atomic mass 88.906 u and its density is 4.472 g/cm³.
• The melting point and boiling point of the yttrium metal is 1799 K and 3203 K respectively.

Chemical properties of yttrium

• Yttrium forms a thin oxide layer in the air and this layer prevents it from further oxidation.
• When yttrium reacts with water, it forms yttrium hydroxide and it liberates hydrogen gas during this reaction.
• If the powdered form of yttrium is heated in air, then it will ignite easily.

Uses of yttrium

Here are some uses of the yttrium element.

• Yttrium is largely used in ceramic industries.
• In old color TVs, the yttrium element was used to get the red color on the screen.
• Yttrium is also used as an alloying element with other metals, which gives improved properties like resistance to oxidation, resistance to corrosion, etc.
• Yttrium is also used in making camera lenses, computer screens, etc.
• Nd:YAG lasers contain yttrium element. Yttrium is used to amplify the laser light.
• Yttrium is also present in YBCO (yttrium barium copper oxide), which is a high temperature superconductor.
• Liver cancers can also be treated with the use of radioactive isotope of yttrium (i.e ⁹⁰Y).
• Yttrium is also used as a catalyst in polymerization of ethylene.

External resources:

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7. 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
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10. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – YTTRIUM. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – YTTRIUM. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/yttrium.html?
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12. Yttrium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Yttrium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/39/yttrium
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