Yttrium is element number 39, a metal with the symbol Y. Its name comes from Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Atomic number 3988.91
YYttriumイットリウム (ittoriumu)
Symbol
Y
Atomic weight
88.91
Place in the table
Period 5 · Group 3
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
One village, four elements
Yttrium was discovered in 1794 and named from part of the name of the Swedish village Ytterby.
Erbium (Er), terbium (Tb) and ytterbium (Yb) are named after the same village. One village gave its name to four elements.
Where it sits on the table
Yttrium is in the fifth row of Group 3. Directly above it is scandium, named after Scandinavia, where Sweden is.
Think about it
Q1Why do you think one village gave its name to as many as four elements?
Q2If you named an element after your town, what would it be called?
Q3Yttrium and ytterbium: aren’t the names confusing?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Erbium, terbium and ytterbium are lanthanoids, in the lower rows of the table. Pages for them will be added to the Room of the Elements.