Ytterbium

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Menachem Begin High School, Safed, Israel

Ytterbium, 70, 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/