---
title: "Yttrium (Y) — element 39"
description: "Yttrium is element 39, symbol Y, atomic weight 88.906. Configuration, properties, uses and neighbours."
url: https://atoneplace.net/element/yttrium/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Yttrium (Y)

**Yttrium — element 39: Y**

88.906 u · Transition metal · period 5, group 3

Four elements are named after the same Swedish village: yttrium, ytterbium, terbium and erbium all come from Ytterby, a quarry outside Stockholm, and gadolinium, holmium, thulium and scandium were first found in its ore too. Yttrium barium copper oxide, discovered in 1987, was the first superconductor to work above 77 K, which meant liquid nitrogen instead of liquid helium and turned superconductivity from an exotic laboratory condition into something a workshop could sustain. A trace of yttrium was found in the lunar rocks brought back by Apollo 11.

## Properties

- **Atomic number:** 39
- **Symbol:** Y
- **Standard atomic weight:** 88.906 u
- **Category:** Transition metal
- **Group:** 3
- **Period:** 5
- **Block:** d-block
- **Electron configuration:** [Kr] 5s² 4d¹
- **Electrons per shell:** 2, 8, 18, 9, 2
- **Melting point:** 1,795 K — 1521.8 °C — 2771.3 °F
- **Boiling point:** 3,618 K — 3344.8 °C — 6052.7 °F
- **Density:** 4.47 g/cm³
- **Electronegativity:** 1.22 (Pauling)
- **Oxidation states:** +3
- **Discovered:** 1794 by Johan Gadolin

## Electron configuration

- **Full:** 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹
- **Noble gas shorthand:** [Kr] 5s² 4d¹
- **Shells:** K: 2 · L: 8 · M: 18 · N: 9 · O: 2

## What it is used for

- YAG laser crystals for cutting, marking and eye surgery
- Yttria-stabilised zirconia in thermal barrier coatings and dental crowns
- Red phosphors in older colour television tubes and fluorescent lamps
- The Y in YBCO, the first superconductor to work above liquid nitrogen
- Yttrium-90 microspheres for treating liver tumours

## Neighbours in the table

| Z | Element | Symbol | Mass |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 37 | Rubidium | Rb | 85.468 |
| 38 | Strontium | Sr | 87.62 |
| 39 | Yttrium ← | Y | 88.906 |
| 40 | Zirconium | Zr | 91.222 |
| 41 | Niobium | Nb | 92.906 |

## Group 3

Elements in the same group share their outer electron count, which is why they behave similarly in reactions. Yttrium sits in group 3 with scandium.

## Common questions

### What is the atomic number of yttrium?

39. That is the number of protons in its nucleus, which is what defines the element.

### What is the symbol for yttrium?

Y.

### What is the electron configuration of yttrium?

1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹, or [Kr] 5s² 4d¹ in noble-gas shorthand.

### What is the melting point of yttrium?

1,795 K — 1521.8 °C — 2771.3 °F

## Related pages

- [Rubidium (Rb)](https://atoneplace.net/element/rubidium/)
- [Strontium (Sr)](https://atoneplace.net/element/strontium/)
- [Zirconium (Zr)](https://atoneplace.net/element/zirconium/)
- [Niobium (Nb)](https://atoneplace.net/element/niobium/)
- [Scandium (Sc)](https://atoneplace.net/element/scandium/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)