Discovery date : 1794
Discovered by: Johan Gadolin
Origin of the name: Yttrium is named after Ytterby, Sweden.
Allotropes :
~>YTTRIUM is a chemical element with symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a rare-earth element.
| FACT BOX | |||
| Group | 3 | Melting point | 1522°C, 2772°F, 1795 K |
| Period | 5 | Boiling point | 3345°C, 6053°F, 3618 K |
| Block | d | Density (g cm−3) | 4.47 |
| Atomic number | 39 | Relative atomic mass | 88.906 |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 89Y |
| Electron configuration | [Kr] 4d15s2 | CAS number | 7440-65-5 |
| ChemSpider ID | 22429 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database | |
In 1787, Karl Arrhenius came across an unusual black rock in an old quarry at Ytterby, near Stockholm. He thought he had found a new tungsten mineral, and passed the specimen over to Johan Gadolin based in Finland. In 1794, Gadolin announced that it contained a new 'earth' which made up 38 per cent of its weight. It was called an’ earth’ because it was yttrium oxide, Y2O3, which could not be reduced further by heating with charcoal.
The metal itself was first isolated in 1828 by Friedrich Wöhler and made by reacting yttrium chloride with potassium. Yet, yttrium was still hiding other elements.
In 1843, Carl Mosander investigated yttrium oxide more thoroughly and found that it consisted of three oxides: yttrium oxide, which was white; terbium oxide, which was yellow; and erbium oxide, which was rose-coloured.