About

Ytterbium is a soft, silvery rare-earth metal that is ductile and malleable. It is used as an alloying agent to improve the grain refinement, strength, and other mechanical properties of stainless steel. It is also a potential component of highly accurate atomic clocks and has been used as a radiation source for portable X-ray machines. It reacts slowly with water.

Atomic Properties

Atomic Number70

Atomic Weight173.054 u

Neutrons (common)104

Electron Configuration[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 6s²

Full Configuration1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 6s²

Electrons per Shell2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2

Electronegativity1.1

Electron Affinity-1.93 kJ/mol

Oxidation States+3, +2

Covalent Radius174 pm

Van der Waals Radius247 pm

Ionic Radius86.8 pm

Periodic Table Position

Group3

Period6

BlockF

Chemical SeriesLanthanoids

Physical Properties

State at STPsolid

Appearancesilvery white

Crystal Structurefcc

Magnetic Orderingparamagnetic

Speed of Sound1,590 m/s

Poisson Ratio0.207

Thermal Properties

Melting Point1,097 K

Boiling Point1,469 K

Triple Point1,097 K

Thermal Expansion0 1/K

Thermal Conductivity39 W/(m·K)

Specific Heat0.155 J/(g·K)

Molar Heat26.82 J/(mol·K)

Heat of Fusion7.66 kJ/mol

Heat of Vaporization128.9 kJ/mol

Abundance

In Earth's Crust3.2 ppm

In Ocean0 ppm

In Solar System0.001 ppm

In Universe0.002 ppm

Discovery

Discovered byJean Charles Galissard de Marignac

Discovery Year1,878

Occurrenceprimordial

CAS Number7440-64-4

Electron Configuration

Energy

↿⇂

Isotopes of Ytterbium

Symbol ▲	Mass (u) ▲	Abundance ▲	Half-life ▲	Decay Mode ▲
¹⁶⁸Yb	167.933890	0.123%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷⁰Yb	169.934760	2.982%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷¹Yb	170.936320	14.086%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷²Yb	171.936380	21.686%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷³Yb	172.938210	16.103%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷⁴Yb	173.938860	32.025%	Stable	Stable
¹⁷⁶Yb	175.942570	12.995%	Stable	Stable

Interactive Visualization

Explore the 3D Bohr model of Ytterbium in our interactive viewer.

View 3D Model of Ytterbium