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Yttrium

Yttrium

Source: images-of-elements.com Source: images-of-elements.com

The element Yttrium is a soft, gray-white metal. It has the symbol Y and the atomic number 39.

Previous Element: Strontium

Next Element: Zirconium
39

Y

88.91
Physical Properties
Color silvery
Phase at Room Temp. solid
Density (g/cm3) 4.5
Hardness (Mohs) ---
Melting Point (K) 1796.2
Boiling Point (K) 3537
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol) 17.2
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol) 367
Heat of Atomization (kJ/mol) 423
Thermal Conductivity (J/m sec K) 17.2
Electrical Conductivity (1/mohm cm) 16.9
Source Xenotime (phosphate)
Atomic Properties
Electron Configuration [Kr]5s14d1
Number of Isotopes 30 (50 natural)
Electron Affinity (kJ/mol) 29.6
First Ionization Energy (kJ/mol) 615.6
Second Ionization Energy (kJ/mol) 1181
Third Ionization Energy (kJ/mol) 1979.9
Electronegativity 1.22
Polarizability (Å3) 22.7
Atomic Weight 88.91
Atomic Volume (cm3/mol) 19.8
Ionic Radius2- (pm) ---
Ionic Radius1- (pm) ---
Atomic Radius (pm) 180
Ionic Radius1+ (pm) ---
Ionic Radius2+ (pm) ---
Ionic Radius3+ (pm) 104
Common Oxidation Numbers +3
Other Oxid. Numbers +2
Abundance
In Earth's Crust (mg/kg) 3.30×101
In Earth's Ocean (mg/L) 1.3×10-5
In Human Body (%) 0%
Regulatory / Health
CAS Number 7440-65-5
OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) TWA: 1 mg/m3
OSHA PEL Vacated 1989 TWA: 1 mg/m3
NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) TWA: 1 mg/m3
IDLH: 500 mg/m3
Sources:
Mineral Information Institute
Jefferson Accelerator Laboratory
EnvironmentalChemistry.com
 

Named after a city in Sweden, Yttrium was discovered in 1794 by Johann Gadolin of Finland. It was derived from the mineral ytterbite.

It is fairly stable in air (as long as it is not ground up), but reacts with water, acids and bases.

Moon rocks show an unusually high yttrium content.

Yttrium is used as a phosphor in TV screens, producing the red color.

Other uses include a microwave filter as well as a catalysts. When alloyed with aluminum, magnesium and chromium, it acts to strengthen those metals. It is also used as a material in superconductors and lasers.

An isotope of yttrium, Y90, is used in needles for certain surgical procedures.

Yttrium has no know biological use.

Yttrium is present in nearly all rare-earth minerals. It is obtained by mining the minerals bastnasite, fergusonite, monazite, samarskite and xenotime, which are mined in the USA, China, Australia, India and Brazil. Other yttrium-bearing minerals include gadolinite and polycrase.

 

Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the Mineral Information Institute. Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the Mineral Information Institute should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content.

 

Citation

Mineral Information Institute (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Contributing Author); "Yttrium". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 3, 2007; Last revised Date October 11, 2011; Retrieved May 18, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Yttrium>

The Author

Mineral Information Institute The Mineral Information Institute (MII) is a national 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating youth about the science of minerals and other natural resources, and about their importance in our every day lives. Each year MII works with interested professional and scientific associations, and various government and education agencies, to help classroom teachers develop materials that are directly usable by teachers in a variety of subjects and a multitude of grade levels. Al ... (Full Bio)

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