Ytterbium (Yb)

Stable isotopes of ytterbium available from ISOFLEX

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Ytterbium was discovered in 1878 by Jean de Marignac. It is named after the village of Ytterby, near Vaxholm, Sweden.

Ytterbium is a silvery, lustrous metal that is soft, malleable and ductile. The metal exists in two allotropic forms: an alpha form, which has a face-centered cubic structure and a density of 6.98 g/cm³ and is stable at room temperature; and a beta form, with a body-centered cubic modification and a density of 6.54 g/cm³.The beta form appears when the alpha form is heated to 798 ºC. Ytterbium reacts slowly with water and is soluble in dilute acids and liquid ammonia. It reacts with oxygen above 200 ºC. It forms two oxides: a monoxide and a more stable sesquioxide. The metal dissolves in dilute and concentrated mineral acids. Similar to other rare earth metals, ytterbium is corroded slowly at ordinary temperatures by caustic alkalis, ammonium hydroxide and sodium nitrate solutions. The metal also dissolves in liquid ammonia, forming a deep blue solution. Reactions with halogens are slow at room temperature but progress rapidly above 200 ºC, forming ytterbium trihalides. At elevated temperatures, ytterbium forms many binary, metalloid and intermetallic compounds with a number of elements.

Ytterbium metal has very little commercial use. In elemental form it is a laser source, a portable x-ray source, and a dopant in garnets. When added to stainless steel, it improves grain refinement, strength and other properties. Some other applications include carbon rods for industrial lighting, titanate-insulated capacitors, and additives to glass. The radioactive isotope Ytterbium-169 is used in portable devices to examine defects in thin steel and aluminum. The metal and its compounds are used in fundamental research.

Properties of Ytterbium