Element: Ytterbium
General data
| Element name | Ytterbium |
|---|---|
| Chemical symbol | Yb |
| Atomic number Z | 70 |
| Year discovered | 1878 |
| Standard state (25°C) | Solid |
| Category | Lanthanide |
| Block | f |
| Atomic mass | 173.05 |
| CPK color | #00BF38 |
Physical properties
| Melting point | 1092 K (819 °C) |
|---|---|
| Boiling point | 1469 K (1196 °C) |
| Density | 6.9 g/cm³ |
Energy properties
| First ionization energy | 6.254 eV |
|---|---|
| Electron affinity | no data |
Atomic structure
| Protons | 70 (Atomic number) |
|---|---|
| Neutrons (Yb-174, most abundant isotope) | 104 |
| Electrons | 70 |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 6s² 4f¹⁴ |
| Oxidation states | +3, +2 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | no data |
| Atomic radius (van der Waals) | 242 pm |
Ionization energies - NIST ASD (70 states)
| State | Charge | Ioniz. energy (eV) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yb I | 0+ | 6.25416 ± 0.000012 | measured |
| Yb II | 1+ | 12.179185 ± 0.000025 | measured |
| Yb III | 2+ | 25.053 ± 0.025 | semi-empirical |
| Yb IV | 3+ | 43.61 ± 0.04 | semi-empirical |
| Yb V | 4+ | 65.6 ± 0.3 | semi-empirical |
| Yb VI | 5+ | 99 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb VII | 6+ | 117 ± 6 | calculated |
| Yb VIII | 7+ | 135 ± 7 | calculated |
| Yb IX | 8+ | 163 ± 8 | calculated |
| Yb X | 9+ | 182 ± 9 | calculated |
| Yb XI | 10+ | 209 ± 10 | calculated |
| Yb XII | 11+ | 244 ± 12 | calculated |
| Yb XIII | 12+ | 279 ± 14 | calculated |
| Yb XIV | 13+ | 301 ± 15 | calculated |
| Yb XV | 14+ | 324 ± 16 | calculated |
| Yb XVI | 15+ | 360 ± 19 | calculated |
| Yb XVII | 16+ | 396 ± 20 | calculated |
| Yb XVIII | 17+ | 431 ± 21 | calculated |
| Yb XIX | 18+ | 469 ± 24 | calculated |
| Yb XX | 19+ | 505 ± 25 | calculated |
| Yb XXI | 20+ | 540 ± 30 | calculated |
| Yb XXII | 21+ | 580 ± 30 | calculated |
| Yb XXIII | 22+ | 610 ± 30 | calculated |
| Yb XXIV | 23+ | 651 ± 6 | calculated |
| Yb XXV | 24+ | 882 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXVI | 25+ | 924 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXVII | 26+ | 971 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXVIII | 27+ | 1019 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXIX | 28+ | 1065 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXX | 29+ | 1114 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXXI | 30+ | 1175 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXXII | 31+ | 1224 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXXIII | 32+ | 1275 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXXIV | 33+ | 1324 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb XXXV | 34+ | 1516 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb XXXVI | 35+ | 1564 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb XXXVII | 36+ | 1618 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb XXXVIII | 37+ | 1668 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XXXIX | 38+ | 1789 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XL | 39+ | 1845 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLI | 40+ | 1978 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLII | 41+ | 2036.4 ± 1 | semi-empirical |
| Yb XLIII | 42+ | 3443 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLIV | 43+ | 3555 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLV | 44+ | 3677 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLVI | 45+ | 3805 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLVII | 46+ | 3929 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLVIII | 47+ | 4051 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb XLIX | 48+ | 4238 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb L | 49+ | 4364 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb LI | 50+ | 4502 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb LII | 51+ | 4630 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb LIII | 52+ | 4988 ± 4 | calculated |
| Yb LIV | 53+ | 5101 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb LV | 54+ | 5224 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb LVI | 55+ | 5339 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb LVII | 56+ | 5731 ± 5 | calculated |
| Yb LVIII | 57+ | 5860 ± 6 | calculated |
| Yb LIX | 58+ | 6111 ± 6 | calculated |
| Yb LX | 59+ | 6236 ± 7 | calculated |
| Yb LXI | 60+ | 13784 ± 10 | calculated |
| Yb LXII | 61+ | 14093 ± 12 | calculated |
| Yb LXIII | 62+ | 14435 ± 15 | calculated |
| Yb LXIV | 63+ | 14752 ± 19 | calculated |
| Yb LXV | 64+ | 16191 ± 24 | calculated |
| Yb LXVI | 65+ | 16570 ± 30 | calculated |
| Yb LXVII | 66+ | 17050 ± 40 | calculated |
| Yb LXVIII | 67+ | 17365.44 ± 0.15 | calculated |
| Yb LXIX | 68+ | 70123.04 ± 0.14 | calculated |
| Yb LXX | 69+ | 71574.63 ± 0.1 | calculated |
Value type as given by NIST ASD: measured - from evaluated experimental data; calculated - from ab initio calculations (mostly highly ionised atoms that have not been measured; for the simplest ones, e.g. H I, the calculation is more accurate than measurement); semi-empirical - from interpolation, extrapolation or another semi-empirical method.
Photos
Isotopes (37)
| A | N | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yb-149 | 79 | 0.7 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-150 | 80 | unknown | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-151 | 81 | 1.6 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-152 | 82 | 3.1 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-153 | 83 | 4.2 s | α |
| Yb-154 | 84 | 409 ms | α |
| Yb-155 | 85 | 1.79 s | α |
| Yb-156 | 86 | 25.0 s | α |
| Yb-157 | 87 | 38.6 s | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-158 | 88 | 1.49 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-159 | 89 | 1.73 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-160 | 90 | 4.8 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-161 | 91 | 4.2 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-162 | 92 | 18.89 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-163 | 93 | 11.1 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-164 | 94 | 75.8 min | EC |
| Yb-165 | 95 | 9.8 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-166 | 96 | 56.7 h | EC |
| Yb-167 | 97 | 17.5 min | EC/β⁺ |
| Yb-168 | 98 | stable | - |
| Yb-169 | 99 | 32.015 d | EC |
| Yb-170 | 100 | unknown | - |
| Yb-171 | 101 | stable | - |
| Yb-172 | 102 | stable | - |
| Yb-173 | 103 | stable | - |
| Yb-174 | 104 | stable | - |
| Yb-175 | 105 | 4.162 d | β⁻ |
| Yb-176 | 106 | stable | - |
| Yb-177 | 107 | 1.911 h | β⁻ |
| Yb-178 | 108 | 74 min | β⁻ |
| Yb-179 | 109 | 8.0 min | β⁻ |
| Yb-180 | 110 | 2.4 min | β⁻ |
| Yb-181 | 111 | unknown | β⁻ |
| Yb-182 | 112 | unknown | β⁻ |
| Yb-183 | 113 | unknown | β⁻ |
| Yb-184 | 114 | unknown | β⁻ |
| Yb-185 | 115 | unknown | β⁻ |
Data sources
- PubChem Periodic Table API - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: CC0
- IUPAC CIAAW - Abridged Standard Atomic Weights 2024 - Table version: 2024 - licence: Public domain
- NNDC Wallet Cards 2023 - Data as of 15 October 2024 - licence: Public domain
- NIST Atomic Spectra Database (ASD) - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: © U.S. Secretary of Commerce
- Images of Elements - Retrieved on 29 June 2026 - licence: CC BY 3.0