Hazard
Flammable in finely divided form.
Chemical Properties
grey powder
Physical properties
Erbium is a soft, malleable metal with a silvery metallic luster that only tarnishes (oxidizes)slightly in air. It is one of the rare-earths of the yttrium subgroup of the lanthanide series.
Its melting point is 1,529°C, its boiling point is 2,868°C, and its density is 9.07g/cm3.
Isotopes
There are 39 isotopes of erbium, six of which are stable: Er-162, Er-164, Er-166,Er-167, Er-168, and Er-170. These six isotopes make up the total atomic weight (mass)of erbium, and all the other isotopes are artificially made and short-lived. Their half-livesrange from 200 nanoseconds to 49 hours.
Origin of Name
Named for the quarry in Ytterby, Sweden, where ores and minerals of
many elements are found.
Occurrence
Erbium ranks 17th in abundance among the rare-earths, and it is the 46th most abundantelement found in the Earth’s crust. It exists in only 2.5 ppm, meaning that about 2.5 poundsof erbium could be extracted from one million pounds of dirt in the Earth’s crust. Higher concentrationsare found in some areas, but in general, the oxides of erbium are rather scarce.It is found in ores such as monazite, gadolinite, and bastnasite. It was first separated intothree elements in 1843 (yttria, erbia, and terbia). Erbium is also produced as a by-product ofnuclear fission of uranium.
Characteristics
Although erbium is magnetic at very low temperatures, it is antiferromagnetic and becomesa superconductor at temperatures near absolute zero. It is insoluble in water but soluble inacids. Its salts range from pink to red. Erbium and some of the other rare-earth elements areconsidered to be “impurities” in the minerals in which they are found. Small quantities oferbium can also be separated from several other rare-earths.
reaction suitability
reagent type: catalyst
core: erbium
Synthesis
Erbium is found in igneous rocks and can be produced by electrolyzing molten erbium chloride ErCl3.
