Yttrium
Name: Yttrium
Symbol: Y
Atomic Number: 39
Mass fraction of the earth’s shell: 31ppm
Melting Point: 1526°C
Boiling Point: 3336°C
Electrical Conductivity: 1,66 · 106 A·V−1·m−1
Name: Yttrium
Symbol: Y
Atomic Number: 39
Mass fraction of the earth’s shell: 31ppm
Melting Point: 1526°C
Boiling Point: 3336°C
Electrical Conductivity: 1,66 · 106 A·V−1·m−1
HISTORY
Yttrium was discovered by Johan Gadolin towards the end of the 18th century as a mixture in a mineral. This mixture is known today as ytter earth. Besides yttrium, it also contains scandium and the smaller lanthanides, europium to lutetium.
The source of inspiration for the name was – just as with erbium, terbium, and ytterbium – the Swedish town of Ytterby. It was not until 1843 that Carl G. Mosander succeeded in isolating yttrium oxide in pure form.
CHARACTERISTICS & EXTRACTION
Yttrium is relatively stable in air but takes on a darker hue when exposed to light. In nature, yttrium does not exist in elemental form. Large deposits of monazite in Brazil and India made these two countries the main producers of yttrium ores. The Mountain Pass mine in California was also known as one of the largest producers of bastnäsite until the 1990s. Since then, China has taken over the leading role in the production of rare earths.
Yttrium is a very exciting element. Only a few people know about it, but almost everyone uses it.
It’s used in LEDs, energy-saving lamps, lasers, and much more. We also find yttrium in medicine. One application is, for example, the treatment of liver cancer. The most complex part of the production of yttrium is the separation of the rare earths. Initially, fractional crystallisation of salt tungsten was the method of choice, but the separation of rare earths on a laboratory scale quickly gained acceptance. Using ion chromatography, the rare earths could now be separated on an industrial scale. The process involves converting yttrium oxide to yttrium fluoride. By adding calcium in a vacuum induction furnace, it becomes a metal.
