Ytterbium (Yb) is a soft, malleable, silvery chemical element belonging to the lanthanide series of rare-earth metals . It is the most volatile among the rare-earth metals and tarnishes slightly in air, requiring storage in a vacuum or inert atmosphere for long-term preservation. Ytterbium readily dissolves in diluted acids, except for hydrofluoric acid, due to the formation of a protective fluoride layer. It is weakly paramagnetic, possessing the lowest magnetic susceptibility of all rare-earth metals. Discovered in 1878 by Jean-Charles Galissard de Marignac, ytterbium is named after Ytterby, Sweden. While it has limited commercial applications, the radioactive isotope 169Yb serves as a source for portable X-ray devices. The metal is also utilized in pressure sensors due to its pressure-dependent electrical resistivity and as a dopant in optical materials.

Where is ytterbium found on the periodic table?

Ytterbium (Yb) is a chemical element classified as a rare-earth metal and belongs to the lanthanide series. On the periodic table , it is found within this series. Ytterbium is characterized by its soft, malleable, silvery appearance and is known for being the most volatile among the rare-earth metals. It is weakly paramagnetic and has the lowest magnetic susceptibility of all rare-earth metals. The element was named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where it was discovered.

What are some physical properties of ytterbium?

Ytterbium is a soft, malleable, silvery rare-earth metal that tarnishes slightly in air. It is the most volatile among the rare-earth metals and is weakly paramagnetic . Key physical properties include: * Melting point: 819 °C (1,506 °F) * Boiling point: 1,196 °C (2,185 °F) * Specific gravity: 6.966 (at 24 °C) * Oxidation states: +2, +3 Ytterbium has a low boiling point compared to other rare-earth metals and exists in three allotropic forms. While it has limited practical uses, the radioactive isotope 169Yb is used in portable radiographic devices, and the metal itself is employed in pressure sensors due to its pressure-dependent electrical resistivity.

How is ytterbium obtained or produced?

Ytterbium is obtained from rare-earth minerals such as laterite clays, xenotime, and euxenite. After initial ore processing, which involves grinding and separation techniques like magnetic and electrostatic separation, ytterbium is separated from other rare-earth elements using solvent-solvent extraction or ion-exchange methods. The elemental metal is produced through a lanthanothermic process. This involves mixing ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3) with lanthanum metal and heating the mixture to high temperatures (1,400–1,600 °C). The lanthanum reacts with the ytterbium oxide, causing the ytterbium metal to evaporate and then condense at a cooler temperature. Further purification can be achieved by resubliming the metal.

What are common uses of ytterbium?

The chemical element ytterbium has limited practical applications, primarily in research. However, the radioactive isotope 169Yb serves as a source of hard X-rays, making it useful in portable radiographic devices. Ytterbium is also employed as a dopant in various optical materials, including lenses. Due to its electrical resistivity being highly dependent on pressure, the metal finds use in pressure sensors.

How does ytterbium compare to other rare earth elements?

Ytterbium (Yb) is a rare-earth metal in the lanthanide series of the periodic table. It is described as soft, malleable, and silvery, tarnishing slightly in air and oxidizing slowly. Compared to other rare-earth metals, ytterbium is noted as being the most volatile and having the lowest boiling point. It also possesses the lowest magnetic susceptibility among the rare-earth metals. Ytterbium is among the less abundant rare earths and is found in various minerals. Its separation from other rare earths is achieved through techniques like solvent-solvent extraction or ion-exchange processes. While it has limited practical uses, the radioactive isotope 169Yb is used in portable radiographic devices, and the metal itself finds application in pressure sensors. Yttrium (Y), another rare earth, is a silvery-white, ductile metal that is more stable in air than ytterbium and has a much higher boiling point.

ytterbium

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ytterbium

chemical element

Also known as: Yb

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What is ytterbium?
Ytterbium (Yb) is a soft, malleable, silvery chemical element belonging to the lanthanide series of rare-earth metals. It is the most volatile among the rare-earth metals and tarnishes slightly in air, requiring storage in a vacuum or inert atmosphere for long-term preservation. Ytterbium readily dissolves in diluted acids, except for hydrofluoric acid, due to the formation of a protective fluoride layer. It is weakly paramagnetic, possessing the lowest magnetic susceptibility of all rare-earth metals.

Discovered in 1878 by Jean-Charles Galissard de Marignac, ytterbium is named after Ytterby, Sweden. While it has limited commercial applications, the radioactive isotope ¹⁶⁹Yb serves as a source for portable X-ray devices. The metal is also utilized in pressure sensors due to its pressure-dependent electrical resistivity and as a dopant in optical materials.
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Where is ytterbium found on the periodic table?
Ytterbium (Yb) is a chemical element classified as a rare-earth metal and belongs to the lanthanide series. On the periodic table, it is found within this series. Ytterbium is characterized by its soft, malleable, silvery appearance and is known for being the most volatile among the rare-earth metals. It is weakly paramagnetic and has the lowest magnetic susceptibility of all rare-earth metals. The element was named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where it was discovered.
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What are some physical properties of ytterbium?
Ytterbium is a soft, malleable, silvery rare-earth metal that tarnishes slightly in air. It is the most volatile among the rare-earth metals and is weakly paramagnetic.

Key physical properties include:
* Melting point: 819 °C (1,506 °F)
* Boiling point: 1,196 °C (2,185 °F)
* Specific gravity: 6.966 (at 24 °C)
* Oxidation states: +2, +3

Ytterbium has a low boiling point compared to other rare-earth metals and exists in three allotropic forms. While it has limited practical uses, the radioactive isotope 169Yb is used in portable radiographic devices, and the metal itself is employed in pressure sensors due to its pressure-dependent electrical resistivity.
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How is ytterbium obtained or produced?
Ytterbium is obtained from rare-earth minerals such as laterite clays, xenotime, and euxenite. After initial ore processing, which involves grinding and separation techniques like magnetic and electrostatic separation, ytterbium is separated from other rare-earth elements using solvent-solvent extraction or ion-exchange methods.

The elemental metal is produced through a lanthanothermic process. This involves mixing ytterbium oxide (Yb₂O₃) with lanthanum metal and heating the mixture to high temperatures (1,400–1,600 °C). The lanthanum reacts with the ytterbium oxide, causing the ytterbium metal to evaporate and then condense at a cooler temperature. Further purification can be achieved by resubliming the metal.
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What are common uses of ytterbium?
The chemical element ytterbium has limited practical applications, primarily in research. However, the radioactive isotope ¹⁶⁹Yb serves as a source of hard X-rays, making it useful in portable radiographic devices. Ytterbium is also employed as a dopant in various optical materials, including lenses. Due to its electrical resistivity being highly dependent on pressure, the metal finds use in pressure sensors.
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2. ytterbium metal
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How does ytterbium compare to other rare earth elements?
Ytterbium (Yb) is a rare-earth metal in the lanthanide series of the periodic table. It is described as soft, malleable, and silvery, tarnishing slightly in air and oxidizing slowly. Compared to other rare-earth metals, ytterbium is noted as being the most volatile and having the lowest boiling point. It also possesses the lowest magnetic susceptibility among the rare-earth metals. Ytterbium is among the less abundant rare earths and is found in various minerals. Its separation from other rare earths is achieved through techniques like solvent-solvent extraction or ion-exchange processes. While it has limited practical uses, the radioactive isotope 169Yb is used in portable radiographic devices, and the metal itself finds application in pressure sensors. Yttrium (Y), another rare earth, is a silvery-white, ductile metal that is more stable in air than ytterbium and has a much higher boiling point.
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ytterbium (Yb), chemical element, a rare-earth metal of the lanthanide series of the periodic table.

Ytterbium is the most volatile rare-earth metal. It is a soft, malleable silvery metal that will tarnish slightly when stored in air and therefore should be stored in vacuum or in an inert atmosphere when long storage time is required. It slowly oxidizes in air, forming Yb₂O₃; the metal is readily dissolved in diluted acids—except hydrofluoric acid (HF), in which a protective layer of YbF₃ forms on the surface and impedes further chemical reaction. Ytterbium is weakly paramagnetic, having the lowest magnetic susceptibility of all the rare-earth metals.

The first concentrate of ytterbium was obtained in 1878 by Swiss chemist Jean-Charles Galissard de Marignac and named by him for the town of Ytterby, Sweden, where it (and the first discovered rare-earth element, yttrium) was found. French chemist Georges Urbain and Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach independently demonstrated in 1907–08 that Marignac’s earth was composed of two oxides, which Urbain called neoytterbia and lutetia. The elements are now known as ytterbium and lutetium. Ytterbium is among the less-abundant rare earths. It occurs in minute amounts in many rare-earth minerals such as laterite clays, xenotime, and euxenite and is found in products of nuclear fission as well.

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Natural ytterbium consists of seven stable isotopes: ytterbium-174 (32.0 percent), ytterbium-172 (21.7 percent), ytterbium-173 (16.1 percent), ytterbium-171 (14.1 percent), ytterbium-176 (13 percent), ytterbium-170 (3 percent), and ytterbium-168 (0.1 percent). Not counting nuclear isomers, a total of 27 radioactive isotopes of Yb ranging in mass from 148 to 181 with half-lives ranging from 409 milliseconds (ytterbium-154) to 32.018 days (ytterbium-169) have been characterized.

Ytterbium is separated from the other rare-earth elements by solvent-solvent extraction or ion-exchange techniques. The elemental metal is prepared by the metallothermic reduction of its oxide, Yb₂O₃, with lanthanum metal, followed by a vacuum distillation to further purify the metal. Ytterbium exists in three allotropic (structural) forms. The α-phase, which exists below 7 °C (45 °F), is close-packed hexagonal with a = 3.8799 Å and c = 6.3859 Å at room temperature. The β-phase is face-centred cubic with a = 5.4848 Å, and it is the normal structure at room temperature. The γ-phase is body-centred cubic with a = 4.44 Å at 763 °C (1,405 °F). Ytterbium has the lowest boiling point of the rare-earth metals.

The element has little practical use beyond research. Radioactive ¹⁶⁹Yb isotope is a source of hard X-rays useful in portable radiographic devices. It is used as a dopant in a variety of optical materials, including lenses. The metal is used in pressure sensors because its electrical resistivity is strongly pressure-dependent.

Ytterbium, like europium, is a divalent metal. A compound of ytterbium in the +2 oxidation state was first prepared in 1929 by W.K. Klemm and W. Schuth, who reduced ytterbium trichloride, YbCl₃, to ytterbium dichloride, YbCl₂, with hydrogen. The ion Yb²⁺ has also been produced by electrolytic reduction or treatment of a Yb³⁺ salt with sodium amalgam. The element forms a series of pale green Yb²⁺ salts such as ytterbium sulfate, dibromide, hydroxide, and carbonate. The pale green ytterbium ion Yb²⁺ is unstable in aqueous solution and reduces water readily, liberating hydrogen; it is less stable than the comparable europium ion, Eu²⁺, and more stable than the samarium ion Sm²⁺. In its predominant +3 oxidation state, ytterbium forms a series of white salts including the trisulfate and the trinitrate; the sesquioxide is also white.

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Element Properties
atomic number	70
atomic weight	173.04
melting point	819 °C (1,506 °F)
boiling point	1,196 °C (2,185 °F)
specific gravity	6.966 (24 °C, or 75 °F)
oxidation states	+2, +3
electron configuration	[Xe]4f ¹⁴6s²

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Rick Livingston.

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