Atomic number 70
Ytterbium
Lanthanide
In the real world
Quick facts
- Atomic mass
- 173.05
- Group
- –
- Period
- 6
- State (STP)
- solid
- Electronegativity
- 1.10
- Common ox. states
- +3
Properties
[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 6s²
- Ionization energy
- 603.4 kJ/mol
- Electron affinity
- 50.0 kJ/mol
- Melting point
- 1097.00 K (823.9 °C)
- Boiling point
- 1469.00 K (1195.8 °C)
How dangerous is it?
A soft, bright metal soft enough to cut with a knife, used in atomic clocks and laser amplifiers. It reacts with air and water faster than most of this row.
- FlammableImmediate
Its filings and powder can ignite in air. (as filings or powder, not the solid)
Keep shavings away from flame and out of contact with water.
- ReactiveImmediate
Ytterbium tarnishes fast and slowly reacts with water and air more readily than its neighbors.
Store sealed away from air and moisture to keep the bright metal from corroding.
How it bonds· family overview
Ytterbium (Yb) is a lanthanide - a soft, silvery metal that almost always loses 3 electrons to form a +3 ion (Ln³⁺). Its 4f electrons sit deep below the valence shell, so chemistry across the lanthanide row is remarkably similar: oxide, fluoride, chloride salts, all in the +3 state.
