Ytterbium | Chemistry

Menachem Begin High School, Safed, Israel

Ytterbium: Ytterbium's main use is in fiber lasers used for cutting thick metals, hence the object in the top right corner — the laser. Fiber lasers emit the colors of the spectrum when used. Ytterbium can be used to convert infra-red light to red and green. The Yb is drawn with lines shaped as rays because Ytterbium isotopes are known to emit gamma rays. The inside of the "b" is a clock because it has the potential to keep time more accurately than the caesium fountain clock; it is accurate to within a second every 100 million years.

Yehoshua Sivan, Menachem Begin High School, Safed, Israel

Atomic properties*

Name:

Ytterbium

Symbol:

Yb

Atomic number:

70

Atomic mass:

173.04 amu

Melting point:

824°C

Boiling point:

1196°C

Density:

6.9 g/cm³

Electronegativity:

No data

# of Isotopes:

8

State:

Solid

Colour:

Silvery-white**

Classification:

Metallic**

* Haynes, W. M. (2011). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 91st edition: http://www.hbcponline.com/ Retrieved April 7, 2011

** Winter, M. (2010). Home of the Periodic Table. Retrieved April 8, 2011, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/