Ytterbium (Yb)

Ytterbium optical lattice clocks are accurate to roughly one part in 10¹⁸, which means they would neither gain nor lose a second over the age of the universe, and they are precise enough to detect the gravitational time dilation from raising the clock by a centimetre. Ytterbium fibre lasers now dominate industrial metal cutting, having displaced CO₂ lasers for most sheet work. Its electrical resistance rises steeply under pressure, which was once exploited to instrument the ground near nuclear tests.

Properties

Atomic number

70

Symbol

Yb

Standard atomic weight

173.05 u

Category

Lanthanide

Period

6

Block

f-block

Electron configuration

[Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴

Electrons per shell

2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2

Melting point

1,092 K — 818.9 °C — 1505.9 °F

Boiling point

1,469 K — 1195.8 °C — 2184.5 °F

Density

6.9 g/cm³

Oxidation states

+3, +2

Discovered

1878 by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac

Electron configuration

Full

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴

Noble gas shorthand

[Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴

Shells

K: 2 · L: 8 · M: 18 · N: 32 · O: 8 · P: 2

What it is used for

• Ytterbium optical lattice clocks, the most accurate clocks ever built
• Ytterbium-doped fibre lasers for industrial cutting and welding
• Stress gauges, since its resistivity changes sharply with pressure
• Stainless steel grain refinement

No Pauling electronegativity is listed in the standard tables for ytterbium.

Neighbours in the table