Atomic number 70
Ytterbium
Lanthanide
Quick facts
- Atomic mass
- 173.05
- Group
- —
- Period
- 6
- State (STP)
- solid
- Electronegativity
- 1.10
- Common ox. states
- +3
Properties
Electron configuration
[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 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.