This comprehensive guide provides an in-depth exploration of the chemical element ytterbium. It covers the history of ytterbium, its physical and chemical properties, its uses in industry, and its role in scientific research. It also provides detailed information on
Ytterbium is a chemical element; it has symbol Yb and atomic number 70. It is a metal, the fourteenth element in the lanthanide series, which is the basis of the relative stability of its +2 oxidation state. Like the other lanthanides, its most common oxidation state is +3, as in its oxide, halides, and other compounds. In aqueous solution, like compounds of other late lanthanides, soluble ytterbium compounds form complexes with nine water molecules. Because of its closed-shell electron configuration, its density, melting point and boiling point are much lower than those of most other lanthanides.