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- Name : Ytterbium
- Symbol : Yb
- Atomic # : 70
- Atom weight: 173.04
- Melting P. : 819
- Boiling P. : 1196
- Oxidation : +2, +3
- Pronounced : i-TUR-bi-em
- From : Named for the Swedish village of Ytterby
- Identified : Jean-Charles-Galinard de Marignac in 1878
- Appearance : Silvery, lustrous, malleable, and ductile metal
- Note : Also known as aldebaranium and cassiopeium
-
- [Properties]
-
- Ytterbium is a very soft, silvery-white metal. It is shiny when first cut,
- but gradually takes on a somewhat duller appearance as the oxide forms due
- to chemical reaction with air. This is a rare-earth metal that is part of
- the lanthanide series of transition elements.
- The metal has at least two allotropic forms. The common, room-temperature
- form has a face-centered cubic crystal. This transforms to a body-centered
- form as the metal is heated above 978 degrees.
-