Ytterbium

Name after it's place of discovery, ytterbium was first found in a Ytterby, Sweden quarry in 1843 by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac. It is not found free in nature, in fact, it was discovered by separating yttria, erbia, and terbia from gadolinite. While it was first found in gadolinite, it is also found in monazite and xenotime. In it's natural state, ytterbium is actually made up out of several stable isotopes.


While it oxidizes quickly in open air and dissolves fast in mineral acids, it is in fact very stable and reacts slowly with water- unlike most other rare earth elements. Though ytterbium and all its compounds are treated with care and stored carefully due to the fact it is toxic, it was not known until 1953- over a century after it's discovery- when the first pure form was produced that it was toxic. If it has contact with skin, it will irritate the eyes and skin. It is also a major fire hazard.

Ytterbium is often used in:

• Stainless steel
• Portable X-ray equipment when electricity isn't available
• Radiographic study of small objects
• Dentistry
• Solid state lasers
• Conversion of infrared energy into solar cell electricity