The only ytterbium compound of historical commercial use is ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3); this is used to make alloys and special types of glass and ceramics.

How does yttrium react with oxygen?

It dissolves in both acids and alkalis. Yttrium does not react with oxygen at room temperature, but does react with oxygen at higher temperatures. As a powder, it may react explosively with hot oxygen. Yttrium metal turnings may ignite spontaneously in air.

Where is ytterbium most commonly found?

It is most often recovered commercially from monazite sand (0.03% ytterbium). The element is also found in euxenite and xenotime. The main mining areas are China, the United States, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia. Reserves of ytterbium are estimated as one million tonnes.

What is ytterbium most commonly used for?

One ytterbium isotope has been used as a radiation source substitute for a portable X-ray machine when electricity was not available. Like other rare-earth elements, it can be used to dope phosphors, or for ceramic capacitors and other electronic devices, and it can even act as an industrial catalyst.

How is ytterbium made?

Ytterbium is produced from its ores by reaction with lanthanum metal. For example, the element is extracted by solvent extraction and ion exchange from monazite.

What can you use ytterbium for?

Uses of ytterbium include use as a radiation source for x-ray machines. It is added to stainless steel to improve its mechanical properties. It may be added as a doping agent to fiber optic cable. It is used to make certain lasers.

Is yttrium and oxygen ionic or covalent?

Yttrium is a metal and oxygen a non-metal – because non-metals tend to gain and metals tend to lose electrons, metals typically react with non-metals by transferring electrons between them and forming ionic compounds (‘salts’). Yttrium has the electronic configuration Kr 5s2 4d1.

What elements does yttrium react with?

Yttrium is very reactive towards the halogens fluorine, F2, chlorine, Cl2 bromine, Br2, and iodine, I2, and burns to form the trihalides yttrium(III) fluoride, YF3 , yttrium(III) chloride, YCl3, yttrium(III) bromide, YBr3, and yttrium(III) iodide, YI3 respectively.

How is ytterbium used?

Ytterbium has few uses. 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. One of ytterbium’s isotopes is being considered as a radiation source for portable X-ray machines.

What are 3 uses for ytterbium?

Uses of Ytterbium

• Ytterbium clocks are the World’s most stable atomic clock.
• It is used as a doping agent to improve the strength, grain refinement and mechanical properties of stainless steel.
• It also acts as an industrial catalyst.
• Few alloys of Ytterbium are used in dentistry.

What is ytterbium oxide?

Ytterbium oxide was first isolated by Swiss chemist Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac from a sample of gadolinite in 1878. Marignac suspected the compound contained a previously unknown element, and named this element “ytterbium” due to the origins of the first gadolinite samples in a mine near Ytterby, Sweden.

What is the valency of ytterbium?

Ytterbium has 2 valency states, +2 and +3. The number of electrons in each of Ytterbium’s shells is 2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2 and its electron configuration is [Xe]4f14 6s2. In its elemental form, CAS 7440-64-4. ytterbium has a silvery-white color.The Ytterbium atom has a radius of 194 pm and its Van der Waals radius is unknown.

What is the oxidation number of hydride in ytterbium?

In compounds of ytterbium (where known), the most common oxidation numbers of ytterbium are: 3. The term hydride is used to indicate compounds of the type M x H y and not necessarily to indicate that any compounds listed behave as hydrides chemically.

What happens when Ytterbium reacts with water?

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.