70Yb173.05
Ytterbium
LanthanidesRare-earth metals used in strong magnets, phone screens and lasers.
[Xe] 4f¹⁴ 6s²
- Atomic number
- 70
- Atomic mass
- 173.05
- Protons
- 70
- Neutrons
- 103 (most common)
- Electrons
- 70
- Shells
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 8, 2
- State at 25 °C
- Solid
- Position
- Period 6, f-block
Proton (+)Neutron (0)Electron (−)
Discovered byJean Charles Galissard de Marignac, 1878Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac: 2 elements
The fourth element named after Ytterby.
Did you know?
- Ytterbium clocks would drift less than a second over the age of the universe.
- It is soft and silvery.
Where it's found
- Rare-earth ores
What it's used for
- Some of the world's most precise atomic clocks
- Lasers
- Stronger stainless steel
Try it
There's no safe home experiment for Ytterbium. Explore it with the animated atom above instead.