Ytterbium (Yb)
Element 70 · Lanthanide · Solid at 25 °C · Period 6 (f-block)
Ytterbium's exceptionally steady optical transitions make it a leading element for next-generation atomic clocks and lasers.
On the periodic table, ytterbium sits in the f-block in period 6. It is one of 15 elements classified as a lanthanide, and at room temperature (25 °C) it is a solid.
The lanthanides — often called rare-earth elements — fill the 4f orbitals along the detached row at the bottom of the table. Chemically they are remarkably alike, almost all preferring the +3 oxidation state, which historically made them very hard to separate. Today they are anything but obscure: strong permanent magnets, screen phosphors, and lasers depend on them.
Properties of ytterbium
| Atomic number (Z) | 70 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Yb |
| Atomic mass | 173.05 |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Group | — (f-block, associated with group 3) |
| Period | 6 |
| Block | f-block |
| Metal / nonmetal | Metal |
| State at 25 °C | Solid |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f14 6s2 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.1 |
| Melting point | 824 °C (1,097.15 K / 1,515.2 °F) |
| Boiling point | 1,196 °C (1,469.15 K / 2,184.8 °F) |
| Density | 6.9 g/cm³ |
Position in the periodic table
Ytterbium belongs to the lanthanides, the detached f-block row shown beneath the main table. These elements all fit between groups 2 and 4 of period 6, and are pulled out into their own row only to keep the table a manageable width.
Physical properties
Ytterbium melts at 824 °C (1,097.15 K / 1,515.2 °F) and boils at 1,196 °C (1,469.15 K / 2,184.8 °F), giving it a liquid range of about 372 °C at standard pressure.
Its density is 6.9 g/cm³.
See also: the interactive periodic table, how to read the periodic table, periodic trends.