Terbium is element number 65, with the symbol Tb. Its name comes from part of the name of Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Atomic number 65158.9
TbTerbiumテルビウム (terubiumu)
Symbol
Tb
Atomic weight
158.9
Place in the table
Period 6 · Lanthanoids
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
From one village
Terbium was discovered in 1843. Like erbium, found the same year, its name was taken from part of the village name Ytterby.
Yttrium, terbium, erbium and ytterbium all come from the same village’s name.
Where it sits on the table
The fifteen elements from lanthanum to lutetium are called the lanthanoids. On the Room of the Elements table they are in the upper of the two rows set apart at the bottom.
Think about it
Q1What do you think of making four element names by changing one village’s name a little?
Q2Terbium and erbium: aren’t they easy to mix up?
Q3Try making an element name from your town’s name.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Of the four Ytterby elements, yttrium is in the fifth row of Group 3, and the other three are lanthanoids.