Periodic Table

Ytterbium

Lanthanide

Quick Facts about Ytterbium

Tm
  • solid- state of matter at room temperature
  • Stable- has at least one stable isotope
  • +3, +2- common oxidation states in compounds
  • FCC- crystal structure, atomic arrangement in solid form
Lu

Ytterbium (Yb) is element 70 on the periodic table. Atomic mass of Yb: 173.0500 u. Yb is in period 6. Melting point of Yb: 1097.00 K.Density of Yb: 6.90 g/cm³.

Why Ytterbium Matters

Ytterbium in everyday life and industry

In Your Home

  • Some stainless steels contain ytterbium for improved properties

Industry Uses

ManufacturingHigh-power Yb fiber lasers (multi-kW) for metal cutting, welding, and 3D printing
MetrologyOptical lattice clocks with Yb atoms achieve 10-18 precision—redefining the second
GeophysicsStress gauges use Yb's piezoresistive effect to measure earthquake stresses

In Your Body

✗ Not essential

Ytterbium has no known biological role. Some ytterbium compounds irritate skin and eyes. Yb-169 is used in some medical applications.

Safety: Considered to have low toxicity

Discovery of Ytterbium

Discovered by Jean de Marignac in Switzerland, 1878

Name origin: Named for the Swedish village of Ytterby.

History & Events

1878
Named after Ytterby, Sweden (one of four elements)
1878
Discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac in 1878
1878
The fourth and last element named after Ytterby
1878
Was further separated to discover lutetium

About Ytterbium

Silvery metallic element of the lanthanoids. Seven natural isotopes and ten artificial isotopes are known. Used in certain steels. Discovered by J.D.G. Marignac in 1878.

Atomic Properties of Yb

Atomic Number of Yb
70
Atomic Mass of Yb
173.0500 u
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 4f14 6s2
Electronegativity
1.10
Block
f-block
Group
—
Period
6

Physical Properties of Yb

Phase (STP)
solid
Melting Point of Yb
1097.00 K
Boiling Point of Yb
1469.00 K
Density of Yb
6.9000 g/cm3

Thermal Properties

Heat of Fusion
3.35 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization
159.00 kJ/mol
Specific Heat
0.15 J/g·K
Molar Heat Capacity
26.74 J/mol·K

Atomic Radii

Calculated
175 pm
Covalent
170 pm
Van der Waals
226 pm

Common Misconceptions

Wrong:Ytterbium and yttrium are the same element with variant spellings.
Correct:Completely different elements! Yttrium (Y, Z=39) is a transition metal; ytterbium (Yb, Z=70) is a lanthanide. Both named after Ytterby village.
Wrong:Optical atomic clocks are just laboratory curiosities.
Correct:Yb optical lattice clocks achieve 10-18 precision—so accurate they could detect gravitational redshift at 1 cm altitude difference. May redefine the SI second.
Wrong:High-power lasers require exotic solid-state crystals.
Correct:Yb-doped fiber lasers dominate industrial cutting/welding—simpler, more efficient, and scalable to tens of kilowatts. They've largely replaced CO2 lasers.

Isotopes of Ytterbium

Ytterbium has 7 naturally occurring isotopes, plus 1 notable radioactive isotope.

IsotopeAtomic Mass (u)AbundanceHalf-LifeDecay Mode
16870Yb (Yb-168)Ytterbium-168 isotope167.93388960.1230%——
16970Yb (Yb-169)Ytterbium-169 isotope168.935180%32.018 daysEC
17070Yb (Yb-170)Ytterbium-170 isotope169.93476642.982%——
17170Yb (Yb-171)Ytterbium-171 isotope170.936330214.09%——
17270Yb (Yb-172)Ytterbium-172 isotope171.936385921.68%——
17370Yb (Yb-173)Ytterbium-173 isotope172.938215116.10%——
17470Yb (Yb-174)Ytterbium-174 isotope173.938866432.03%——
17670Yb (Yb-176)Ytterbium-176 isotope175.942576413.00%——

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

Isotope Applications

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

Industrial Applications

169Yb (with a half-life of 32 days) emits gamma rays and can be used to create a radiographic image of an object without the use of electricity. A capsule containing 169Yb is placed on one side of the object being screened and photographic film is placed on the other. The result will indicate flaws in metal casting or welded joints [491], [492]. Gamma cameras use 169Yb as a radiation source (Fig. IUPAC.70.1). Gamma cameras are used to locate sealed radioactive sources and hot spots in historical waste. Images of the gamma ray intensity are made and then the 2-D distribution is superimposed on a picture or video image [493], [494]. 171Yb has been used for making an atomic clock by making use of a ytterbium optical lattice (formed by the interference of counter-propagating laser beams) (Fig. IUPAC.70.2) [495], [496], [497].

Medical Applications

In the treatment of prostate cancer with brachytherapy seed implants, 169Yb has been suggested as an alternative to using 125I and 103Pd [498], [499].

Abundance

Earth's Crust
3.2 mg/kg
Seawater
8.20×10-7 mg/L

Uses

Yb-doped fiber lasers dominate high-power industrial cutting/welding. Optical atomic clocks using Yb achieve unprecedented precision (10-18). Improves stainless steel properties. Stress gauges use Yb's piezoresistive properties.

Sources

Found in minerals such as yttria, monazite, gadolinite, and xenotime. Monazite is often 50% rare earth by weight and typically 0.03% ytterbium.

Geochemistry

Goldschmidt
litophile
Geochemical Class
rare earth & related

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