Periodic Table

Yttrium

Transition Metal

Quick Facts about Yttrium

Sr
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +3- common oxidation states in compounds
  • HEX- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
Zr

Yttrium (Y) is element 39 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Y: 88.9060 u. Y is in period 5, group 3. Melting point of Y: 1799.00 K.Density of Y: 4.47 g/cm³.

Why Yttrium Matters

Yttrium in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • LED and fluorescent lights use yttrium compounds as phosphors
  • Spark plugs use yttrium for improved performance
  • Superconductors like YBCO contain yttrium

Industry Uses

IndustryYttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) lasers are used in surgery and cutting

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Yttrium has no known biological role in humans. Yttrium-90 is used in cancer treatment (radioimmunotherapy). Yttrium accumulates in the liver, kidneys, and bones.

Safety: The element is considered mildly toxic

Discovery of Yttrium

Discovered by Johann Gadolin in Finland, 1789

Name origin: From the Swedish village, Ytterby, where one of its minerals was first found.

History & Events

1794
Named after Ytterby, a village in Sweden
1794
Four elements were discovered in Ytterby ore (Y, Tb, Er, Yb)
1794
Discovered by Johan Gadolin in 1794
1794
First rare earth element to be discovered

About Yttrium

Silvery-grey metallic element of group 3 on the periodic table. Found in uranium ores. The only natural isotope is Y-89, there are 14 other artificial isotopes. Chemically resembles the lanthanoids. Stable in the air below 400 degrees, celsius. Discovered in 1828 by Friedrich Wohler.

Atomic Properties of Y

Atomic Number of Y
39
Atomic Mass of Y
88.9060 u
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d1 5s2
Electronegativity
1.22
Block
d-block
Group
3
Period
5

Physical Properties of Y

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of Y
1799.00 K
Boiling Point of Y
3203.00 K
Density of Y
4.4720 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Fusion
11.50 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
367.00 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.30 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
26.53 J/mol·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
180 pm
Covalent
163 pm
Van der Waals
232 pm
Metallic
162 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:Rare earth elements are rare.
Correct:Yttrium is more abundant than lead in Earth's crust. 'Rare earth' refers to the difficulty of separating them, not scarcity.
Wrong:The four Ytterby elements all start with 'Y'.
Correct:They're Yttrium, Ytterbium, Terbium, and Erbium—creative anagrams from one tiny Swedish village's quarry.
Wrong:Yttrium is a lanthanide.
Correct:It's a transition metal (group 3) but chemically similar to lanthanides, so it's often processed alongside them.

Isotopes of Yttrium

Yttrium has 1 naturally occurring isotope, plus 2 notable radioactive isotopes.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
8639Y (Y-86)Yttrium-86 isotope85.9148860%14.7 hoursβ⁺, EC
8939Y (Y-89)Yttrium-89 isotope88.9058403100.00%
9039Y (Y-90)Yttrium-90 isotope89.90714390%64.1 hoursβ⁻

Data source: NIH PubChem (aggregated from IUPAC, NIST)

Isotope Applications

Isotopes of Yttrium have important real-world applications in science and industry.

Medical Applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNT), which are nano-scaled carbon tubes, are being examined in nanobiotechnology research studies because it has been discovered that CNTs labeled with 86Y (with a half-life of 0.6 day) are soluble when they are injected into mice. This discovery was made after mice were given an intravenous or intraperitoneal (directly into a body cavity) injection with the 86Y CNT and then were examined using positron emission tomography (PET) scans to observe whether the 86Y had been flushed from their systems. The PET scan determined that accumulation of 86Y occurred in the liver, kidney, and spleen with very rapid blood clearance. This has broad implications for developing drug treatments [303]. Radiomicrosphere therapy (RT) that uses 90Y (with a half-life of 64 h) microspheres is a proven therapy that helps treat hepatic (liver) cancer (Fig. IUPAC.39.1) [304]. 90Y is also used in radiosynovectomy to reduce joint pain [305].

Abundance

Earth's Crust
33.0 mg/kg
Seawater
1.30×10-5 mg/L

Uses

Combined with europium to make red phosphors for color TV's. Yttrium oxide and iron oxide combine to form a crystal garnet used in radar.

Sources

Found in minerals such as monazite, xenotime, and yttria.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
rare earth & related

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