Ytterbium is element number 70, with the symbol Yb. Its name comes from Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Atomic number 70173.0
YbYtterbiumイッテルビウム (itterubiumu)
Symbol
Yb
Atomic weight
173.0
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 a stone mined in the village
Ytterbium was discovered in 1878, in gadolinite mined at Ytterby.
Of the four elements named after Ytterby, ytterbium keeps the village name most intact.
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
Q1Yttrium and ytterbium: aren’t the names confusing?
Q2Why do you think so many elements were found in stones from one village?
Q3Put the four Ytterby elements in order of discovery.
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Elements named after Ytterby: yttrium (1794), terbium (1843), erbium (1843) and ytterbium (1878).