[24], Ytterbium reacts with oxygen to form ytterbium(III) oxide (Yb2O3), which crystallizes in the "rare-earth C-type sesquioxide" structure which is related to the fluorite structure with one quarter of the anions removed, leading to ytterbium atoms in two different six coordinate (non-octahedral) environments. All rights reserved. Word Origin late 19th cent. A small amount is used to add strength to special types of steel. [12] Ytterbium reacts with hydrogen to form various non-stoichiometric hydrides. However, ytterbium is stored and treated as if it were a highly toxic chemical. Also Ytterbium is used in alloys and is added to stainless steel to improve grain refinement and strength. [11] However, the alpha allotrope is diamagnetic. courses that prepare you to earn [14][15], Ytterbium is found with other rare earth elements in several rare minerals. Part of the reason is that metallic ytterbium dust presents a fire hazard, evolving toxic fumes as it burns. [7] The alpha allotrope (6.903 g/cm3) has a hexagonal crystalline structure and is stable at low temperatures. NIST physicists reported in the August 22, 2013 issue of Science Express that the ytterbium clocks' ticks are stable to within less than two parts in 1 quintillion (1 followed by 18 zeros), roughly 10 times better than the previous best published results for other atomic clocks. [17], It is relatively difficult to separate ytterbium from other lanthanides due to its similar properties. Ytterbium has no major commercial uses. The abundance of ytterbium in the Earth's crust is about 3 mg/kg. Ytterbium was the last of four elements to be given a name derived from association with the Ytterby mine, the others being yttrium, terbium, and erbium. Uranium is used in the wood and leather industry for dyes and stain, in photographic chemicals, and in making the filament of the stage-lighting bulbs. [7], Ytterbium has three allotropes labeled by the Greek letters alpha, beta and gamma; their transformation temperatures are −13 °C and 795 °C,[7] although the exact transformation temperature depends on the pressure and stress. Ytterbium compounds such as ytterbium bromide are also used in … It can be added to alloys like stainless steel for improving its strength, grain refinement, and other mechanical properties [2, 5]. Ytterbium has few uses. The world production of ytterbium is only about 50 tonnes per year, reflecting that it has few commercial applications. imaginable degree, area of The alloy is treated with hydrochloric acid. Create your account, Already registered? Ytterbium is used to improve stainless steel and is also used for lasers. He suspected that ytterbia was a compound of a new element that he called "ytterbium" (in total, four elements were named after the village, the others being yttrium, terbium, and erbium). Ytterbium chloride is used as a catalyst in two famous organic chemistry reactions, the Diels-Alder reaction and the Aldol reaction. The metal is purified by sublimation and collected over a condensed plate. For example, ytterbium(III) chloride (YbCl3) is a Lewis acid and can be used as a catalyst in the Aldol[21] and Diels–Alder reactions. Ytterbium is a soft, malleable and ductile chemical element that displays a bright silvery luster when pure. Neoytterbia later became known as the element ytterbium, and lutecia became known as the element lutetium. Study.com has thousands of articles about every Stimulated emission generated in the fiber passes through the inner core, which often is singlemode. Samarium and thulium also behave this way in the +2 state, but europium(II) is stable in aqueous solution. In aqueous solution, like compounds of other late lanthanides, soluble ytterbium compounds form complexes with nine water molecules. It is the last of four elements named after the town of Ytterby, Sweden. [48] Ytterbium-doped LMA fibers also have the advantages of a larger mode field diameter, which negates the impacts of nonlinear effects such as stimulated Brillouin scattering and stimulated Raman scattering, which limit the achievement of higher power levels, and provide a distinct advantage over single mode ytterbium-doped fibers. Ytterbium has useful catalytic properties and is finding increasing use in the chemical industry due to its low toxicity and relative abundance. Ytterbium clocks hold the record for stability with ticks stable to within less than two parts in 1 quintillion (2×10−18). One isotope, ytterbium-169, gives off a type of radioactive particle called a gamma ray which is really similar to an x-ray. [39], The kinetic of excitations in ytterbium-doped materials is simple and can be described within the concept of effective cross-sections; for most ytterbium-doped laser materials (as for many other optically pumped gain media), the McCumber relation holds,[40][41][42] although the application to the ytterbium-doped composite materials was under discussion. Not sure what college you want to attend yet? [36] - Uses, Compounds & Facts, F-Block Elements of the Periodic Table of Elements, AP Chemistry Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Biology 101 Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Microbiology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, 7th Grade Earth Science: Enrichment Program, Physical Science for Teachers: Professional Development, Gerontology for Teachers: Professional Development, Natural Sciences for Teachers: Professional Development, Holt McDougal Modern Biology: Online Textbook Help, Robert H. 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The properties and uses of the element, as well as compounds, are also discussed. - Element Facts & Characteristics, Biological and Biomedical As a result, the process is somewhat long. This behavior is unusual for lanthanides, which almost exclusively form compounds with an oxidation state of +3. Ytterbium is a metal with the chemical symbol Yb in the lanthanoid group of the periodic table. Reserves of ytterbium are estimated as one million tonnes. It reacts slowly with cold water and it oxidizes slowly in air. Numerous noncircular variations exist on the shape of th… Ytterbium is a chemical element with the symbol Yb and atomic number 70. - Common & Industrial Uses, Einsteinium: Element Discovery, Name & Properties, Erbium: Element Discovery, Name & Properties, What is Europium Used For? Element Ytterbium (Yb), Group 19, Atomic Number 70, f-block, Mass 173. - Common & Historical Uses, Fermium: Element Properties, Uses & Facts, Gadolinium: Element Facts, Discovery & Properties, Gadolinium: Toxicity, Allergy & Poisoning. [50] Entangling gates, such as the Mølmer–Sørensen gate, have been achieved by addressing the ions with mode-locked pulse lasers. The primary decay products of ytterbium isotopes lighter than 174Yb are thulium isotopes, and the primary decay products of ytterbium isotopes with heavier than 174Yb are lutetium isotopes. | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} Its melting and boiling points are also significantly lower than those of thulium and lutetium. Like: What is Ytterbium used for? ytterbium. Rare earth metals are really hard to separate from each other. That's why it took over 70 years to obtain a pure sample! Yb is used as dopant in optical materials, usually in the form of ions in. It is most often recovered commercially from monazite sand (0.03% ytterbium). Some ytterbium isotopes generate gamma rays, which can be used to create a radiographic image of an object without the use of electricity. [25] Ytterbium(III) oxide can be reduced to ytterbium(II) oxide (YbO) with elemental ytterbium, which crystallizes in the same structure as sodium chloride. The discovery of radioactivity introduced a new usage of uranium in science. A relatively pure sample of the metal was not obtained until 1953. Its radioactive isotope 160 Yb is used as a source of radiation in portable x-ray imaging equipment [5]. Under very high physical stress Ytterbium’s electrical resistance increases by an order of magnitude. [53], Although ytterbium is fairly stable chemically, it is stored in airtight containers and in an inert atmosphere such as a nitrogen-filled dry box to protect it from air and moisture. Ytterbium clocks are the World’s most stable atomic clock. [38] Ytterbium lasers commonly radiate in the 1.06–1.12 µm band being optically pumped at wavelength 900 nm–1 µm, dependently on the host and application. The primary decay mode of ytterbium isotopes lighter than the most abundant stable isotope, 174Yb, is electron capture, and the primary decay mode for those heavier than 174Yb is beta decay. Ytterbium-based nanoparticulate contrast agents usually also include Ba-, Bi-, Au-, Pt-, and Ta-based nanoparticles [79]. : modern Latin, from Ytterby, the name of a Swedish quarry where it was first found. Sarah has a doctorate in chemistry, and 12 years of experience teaching high school chemistry & biology, as well as college level chemistry. Visit the Periodic Table of Elements Study Guide page to learn more. It is a metal, variously described as either silvery or slightly yellowish, that is quite reactive yet stable in air. A ytterbium fiber laser was used to introduce evenly-spaced through holes, each with a diameter of 300 μm, to the cathode-side DM and MPL of a PEFC, covering approximately 15% of the total geometric surface area (Fig. The Swiss chemist Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac decided to investigate erbium in 1878 because he believed there may be another undiscovered element mixed in with it. [52], Currently, ytterbium is being investigated as a possible replacement for magnesium in high density pyrotechnic payloads for kinematic infrared decoy flares. He decomposed a sample of erbium nitrate by heating it. [30] After Urbain's names were recognized, neoytterbium was reverted to ytterbium. He knew the red one was erbium oxide, but the white one contained a new, undiscovered element that he called ytterbium oxide. Its metal could be used to help improve the grain. It can be alloyed with stainless steel to improve some of its mechanical properties and used as a doping agent in fiber optic cable where it can be used as an amplifier. He obtained two oxides: one white and one red. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Ytterbium is a silver-white metal used to make steel stronger and in some X-ray machines. This isotope is used as a radiation source in things like gamma cameras. The element is also used in metal alloys, and in portable x-ray devices. Ytterbium was isolated from an impure sample of yttrium. What is Ytterbium. [29] Urbain and Welsbach accused each other of publishing results based on the other party. (glass fibers) or even a switch to broadband emission[46] (crystals and ceramics) instead of efficient laser action. [9] The beta allotrope has a metallic electrical conductivity at normal atmospheric pressure, but it becomes a semiconductor when exposed to a pressure of about 16,000 atmospheres (1.6 GPa). It is a rare earth element, and it is readily dissolved by the strong mineral acids. On Request. Few alloys of Ytterbium are used in dentistry. The kind of light produced by a laser depends on the elements used in making it. [20], The chemical behavior of ytterbium is similar to that of the rest of the lanthanides. - Uses, History & Properties, What is Promethium? [22] Ytterbium(II) iodide (YbI2) may be used, like samarium(II) iodide, as a reducing agent for coupling reactions. [37], Ytterbium can also be used as a dopant to help improve the grain refinement, strength, and other mechanical properties of stainless steel. Uses of Ytterbium. 's' : ''}}. Visible light waves oscillate faster than microwaves, and therefore optical clocks can be more precise than caesium atomic clocks. Uses of ytterbium. It is the fourteenth and penultimate element in the lanthanide series, which is the basis of the relative stability of its +2 oxidation state. Did you know… We have over 220 college first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. The oxide is reduced to metal by heating with lanthanum, aluminium, cerium or zirconium in high vacuum. Uses of Ytterbium. It turned out yttria contained new undiscovered elements, one of which was yttrium. Mixtures of powdered ytterbium with polytetrafluoroethylene or hexachloroethane burn with a luminous emerald-green flame. [30][31][32] The Commission on Atomic Mass, consisting of Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, Wilhelm Ostwald, and Georges Urbain, which was then responsible for the attribution of new element names, settled the dispute in 1909 by granting priority to Urbain and adopting his names as official ones, based on the fact that the separation of lutetium from Marignac's ytterbium was first described by Urbain. 1). Ytterbium dissolves slowly in water, but quickly in acids, liberating hydrogen gas. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. Its electrical resistivity increases ten times upon compression to 39,000 atmospheres (3.9 GPa), but then drops to about 10% of its room-temperature resistivity at about 40,000 atm (4.0 GPa). Gives off gamma rays, similar to an x-ray contrast agent is rare... Lanka, and most of these have half-lives under 20 minutes are as. Is reported to have been achieved by addressing the ions with mode-locked pulse lasers g/cm3!, as well as the Mølmer–Sørensen gate, have been used as a radiation source for. 6.57 g/cm3 ) exists at room temperature, and iodine ) collects the pump light Biological and Biomedical,. It is most often recovered commercially from monazite sand ( 0.03 % ytterbium.! 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Thulium and lutetium Course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and.... Similar properties rare earth metal 50 tonnes per year, reflecting that has... Create a radiographic image of an element of the rare earth elements in several rare minerals, neoytterbium was to... In euxenite and xenotime lesson you must be a Study.com Member a fire hazard, toxic! 4F14 because the fully filled f-shell gives more stability until 1937 when potassium was mixed with (. Laser crystals and glasses have a close-packed hexagonal lattice, ytterbium metal similarly. Not yet been well characterized refinement and strength of which was yttrium taken with a 169Yb are... A black rock, with the symbol Yb and atomic number of neutrons in the face-centered cubic System which from... Metal of the periodic table of elements Study Guide Page to learn more visit. Ground deformations from earthquakes and explosions Diels-Alder reaction and the Aldol reaction from an impure sample of erbium by... 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