ytterbium

Definition

A metallic chemical element (symbol Yb) with an atomic number of 70.

Etymology

From Ytterby + -ium, named after Ytterby, Sweden, the same etymological source as yttrium, terbium, and erbium.

Example Sentences

• "At a meeting of the Russian Chemical Society held October 20, 1881 (and reported in the Bulletin de la Société Chimique de Paris, for August, 1882), Mendelejeff [Dmitri Mendeleev], the distinguished author of the periodic law, remarked that only two of the recently announced elements—scandium and ytterbium—had been satisfactorily confirmed. These have been obtained in a pure state by [Lars Fredrik] Nilson, and neither of them has absorption spectra."
• "The lanthanides samarium, europium and ytterbium possess relatively stable and long-known dispositive states."
• "Ytterbium is a silvery, soft, malleable, and ductile metal with a lustrous metallic shine. It is slightly reactive in air or water at room temperatures. Ytterbium is located next to last of the rare-earths in the lanthanide series."

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