Yttrium
[Kr] 4d¹ 5s² · 2 · 8 · 18 · 9 · 2
A transition metal that behaves chemically like a lanthanide and is mined with them. Yttrium lent its name to four separate elements, all from one Swedish village where an odd black mineral turned up.
3D model
Bohr model: nucleus and electron shells from the real configuration. Valence electrons are highlighted.
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Atomic properties
- Atomic number
- 39
- Atomic mass
- 88.906 а.е.м.
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d¹ 5s²
- Electrons per shell
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 9 · 2
- Block
- d-block
- Group
- Scandium group
- Period
- 5
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 1.22
- Electronegativity (Allen)
- 1.12
- Atomic radius
- 212 pm
- Covalent radius
- 190 pm
- Van der Waals radius
- 232 pm
- Ionisation energy 1
- 600 kJ/mol
- Ionisation energy 2
- 1 180 kJ/mol
- Ionisation energy 3
- 1 980 kJ/mol
- Ionisation energy 4
- 5 847 kJ/mol
- Ionisation energy 5
- 7 430 kJ/mol
- Electron affinity
- 29.6 kJ/mol
- Common oxidation states
- +3
- Oxidation states
- +1, +2, +3
Physical properties
- State at 25 °C
- solid
- Density
- 4.472 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 1 799 K · 1 525.9 °C
- Boiling point
- 3 609 K · 3 335.9 °C
- Speed of sound
- 3 300 m/s
Thermal properties
- Heat of fusion
- 11.42 kJ/mol
- Heat of vaporisation
- 363 kJ/mol
- Specific heat capacity
- 0.298 J/(g·K)
- Thermal conductivity
- 17.2 W/(m·K)
Mechanical properties
- Young's modulus
- 63.5 GPa
- Shear modulus
- 25.6 GPa
- Bulk modulus
- 41.2 GPa
- Poisson ratio
- 0.24
- Mohs hardness
- no data
- Brinell hardness
- 589 MPa
Electrical and magnetic properties
- Electrical resistivity
- 596 nΩ·m
- Magnetic ordering
- paramagnetic
- Curie point
- no data
- Néel point
- no data
- Superconducting point
- 1.3 K
Crystal structure
- Crystal structure
- hexagonal close-packed (hcp)
- Lattice constants
- a = 364.82 pm · c = 573.18 pm
Abundance
- In the crust
- 33 mg/kg
- In the ocean
- 1.3·10⁻⁵ mg/L
- In the universe
- 7 mg/kg
- In the human body
- no data
Isotopes
| Isotope | Abundance | Half-life | Decay mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89Y | 100 % | stable | — |
Yttrium-90 is a pure beta emitter used in radioembolisation of liver tumours and in treating lymphoma.
Discovery
- Year of discovery
- 1794
- Discovered by
- Johan Gadolin
- Where
- Finland
- Origin of the name
- after Ytterby, the Swedish village that named four elements
History
Johan Gadolin isolated a new earth from ytterbite in 1794. Over time that one mineral yielded yttrium, ytterbium, terbium and erbium — four elements named for the village of Ytterby.
Where it occurs
33 mg/kg of the crust. Yttrium accompanies the heavy lanthanides in xenotime and bastnäsite; most production is in China.
How it is produced
By separating rare-earth concentrates through ion exchange or solvent extraction, then reducing the fluoride with calcium.
Role in living things
No biological role. Yttrium salts are mildly toxic.
Safety
Yttrium dust and compounds irritate the lungs on inhalation; the powdered metal is pyrophoric.
Uses
- Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) — the host crystal of the most common solid-state lasers
- Phosphors: the red of picture tubes and of white LEDs
- Stabilising zirconia for ceramic knives and dental crowns
- YBCO superconductors with a critical temperature above liquid nitrogen
Curiosities
- The village of Ytterby in Sweden named four elements — a record for a place name.
- YBCO was the first superconductor to work at liquid nitrogen temperature; the 1987 discovery transformed the field.
- The red phosphor of old television sets is yttrium oxysulfide doped with europium.
- Yttrium is not formally a lanthanide, but every industrial process treats it as one.