Erbium (Er)
lanthanideSolid
Peso atomico standard
167,259 uConfigurazione elettronica
[Xe] 6s2 4f12Punto di fusione
1528,85 °CPunto di ebollizione
2867,85 °CDensità
9070 kg/m³Stati di ossidazione
0, +1, +2, +3Elettronegatività (Pauling)
1,24Energia di ionizzazione (1ª)
6,1077 eVAnno della scoperta
1843Raggio atomico
175 pmDettagli
Erbium is a lanthanide metal and one of the heavier rare-earth elements. In compounds it is dominated by the +3 oxidation state, giving many salts a characteristic pale pink color. Its greatest technological importance comes from optical transitions of Er³⁺ ions, especially in silica glass, where they enable amplification near 1.55 micrometres for fiber-optic communications. It occurs in nature with other rare earths rather than as a native metal.
The pure metal is soft and malleable and has a bright, silvery, metallic luster. As with other rare-earth metals, its properties depend to a certain extent on the impurities present. The metal is fairly stable in air and does not oxidize as rapidly as some of the other rare-earth metals. Naturally occurring erbium is a mixture of six isotopes, all of which are stable. Nine radioactive isotopes of erbium are also recognized. Recent production techniques, using ion-exchange reactions, have resulted in much lower prices of the rare-earth metals and their compounds in recent years. Most of the rare-earth oxides have sharp absorption bands in the visible, ultraviolet, and near infrared. This property, associated with the electronic structure, gives beautiful pastel colors to many of the rare-earth salts.
The name derives from the Swedish town of Ytterby, where the ore gadolinite (in which it was found) was first mined. Erbium was discovered by the Swedish surgeon and chemist Carl-Gustav Mosander in 1843 in a yttrium sample. He separated the yttrium into yttrium, a rose-coloured salt he called terbium and a deep-yellow peroxide that he called erbium.
The mineral gadolinite ((Ce, La, Nd, Y)2FeBe2Si2O10), discovered in a quarry near the town of Ytterby, Sweden, has been the source of a great number of rare earth elements. In 1843, Carl Gustaf Mosander, a Swedish chemist, was able to separate gadolinite into three materials, which he named yttria, erbia and terbia. As might be expected considering the similarities between their names and properties, scientists soon confused erbia and terbia and, by 1877, had reversed their names. What Mosander called erbia is now called terbia and visa versa. From these two substances, Mosander discovered two new elements, terbium and erbium. Today, erbium is primarily obtained through an ion exchange process from the minerals xenotime (YPO4) and euxenite ((Y, Ca, Er, La, Ce, U, Th)(Nb, Ta, Ti)2O6).
Erbium, one of the so-called rare-earth elements on the lanthanide series, is found in the minerals mentioned under dysprosium. In 1842 Mosander separated "yttria" found in the mineral gadolinite, into three fractions which he called yttria, erbia, and terbia. The names erbia and terbia became confused in this early period. After 1860, Mosander's terbia was known as erbia, and after 1877, the earlier known erbia became terbia. The erbia of this period was later shown to consist of five oxides, now known as erbia, scandia, holmia, thulia and ytterbia. By 1905 Urbain and James independently succeeded in isolating fairly pure Er2O3. Klemm and Bommer first produced reasonably pure erbium metal in 1934 by reducing the anhydrous chloride with potassium vapor.
Pure erbium is a silvery-white metal with a metallic lustre. It is soft and malleable compared with many common structural metals, and it slowly tarnishes in air as an oxide layer forms. Finely divided erbium reacts more readily than massive pieces.
Erbium-doped silica glass is used in optical fiber amplifiers and some fiber lasers, where Er³⁺ emits in the low-loss telecommunications window. Erbium-doped crystals and glasses are also used in solid-state lasers, including medical and dental laser systems that couple strongly to water. Small additions of erbium can modify the properties of some alloys and nuclear materials, but these uses are limited compared with optical applications. Erbium oxide is used as a pink colorant in glass and ceramics.
Erbium is alloyed with vanadium to make it softer and easier to shape. Erbium is added to fiber optic cables as a doping agent where it is used as a signal amplifier. Erbium also has some uses in the nuclear power industry.
Erbia, the renamed material that Mosander discovered in 1843, is erbium oxide (Er2O3), one of erbium's compounds. Erbia has a pink color and is used to color glass and glazes. Other erbium compounds include: erbium fluoride (ErF3, erbium chloride (ErCl3 and erbium iodide (ErI3).
Erbium is finding nuclear and metallurgical uses. Added to vanadium, for example, erbium lowers the hardness and improves workability. Erbium oxide gives a pink color and has been used as a colorant in glasses and porcelain enamel glazes.
Isotopes in Biology
Radiolabeled 171Er (with a half-life of 7.5 h) tablets have been used to study bowel movements of individuals using external scintigraphy. Such tablets have an enteric coating and contain small amounts of stable erbium oxide (170Er) initially. The tablets are then irradiated at a low neutron flux to produce radioactively labeled 171Er tablets, via the 170Er (n, γ) 171Er reaction. This method is a noninvasive approach for determining gastric emptying rates and visualizing segments of the digestive system in an individual [479] A. Parr, R. M. Beihn, M. Jay. Int. J. Pharm.32, 251 (1986)., [480] M. C. Theodorakis. Am. Physiol. Soc. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol.239, G39 (1980)..
Isotopes in Medicine
169Er (with a half-life of 9.4 days) is used in radiosynovectomy, which is a regularly practiced radiotherapy, on rheumatoid arthritis patients whose condition is resistant to standard methods of treatment (Fig. IUPAC.68.1). Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease of the joint capsule (synovial sac), which is lined with a thin membrane called the synovium, of an individual’s moveable joints (synovial joints). In radiosynovectomy, the radiopharmaceutical called 169Er- citrate colloid, which contains colloidal particles that are labeled with β-emitting 169Er, is directly injected into the synovial cavity (the cavity between the bones in a moveable joint inside of the synovium) of the affected joint. These radioactive-colloid particles are then phagocytized (engulfed) by macrophage-like synoviocytes as well as other phagocytizing inflammatory cells in the patient’s synovium. Necrosis (tissue death) and the inhabitation of cell proliferation (increase in number of cells) result from the radiation of the synovium and therefore, temporarily halts synovitis (which is the condition of when the synovium thickens with inflammation) and improves synovial joint function [481] F. M. van der Zanta, Z. N. Jahangierb, G. G. M. Gommansa, J. D. Moolenburghc, J. W. G. Jacobs. Appl. Radiat. Isot.65, 649 (2007)., [482] S. J. Kim, K. A. Jung. Clin. Med. Res.5, 244 (2007)., [483] M. E. A. McNeil. The First Year Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, Marlowe & Company, New York, NY (2005)., [484] G. Prabhakar, S. S. Sachdev, N. Sivaprasad. Pharma Times41, 11 (2009)..
Erbium chemistry is typical of the trivalent lanthanides. Erbium(III) oxide, Er₂O₃, is a stable pink oxide and an important commercial intermediate. Erbium(III) chloride, ErCl₃, and erbium(III) nitrate, Er(NO₃)₃, form hydrated salts used in preparation and research. Er³⁺ is a hard Lewis acid and forms complexes with oxygen- and nitrogen-donor ligands. The +2 state is uncommon and strongly reducing; the +4 state is not a normal part of erbium chemistry under ordinary conditions.
See more information at the Erbium compound page.
Metallic erbium has low acute toxicity, but dust or turnings can present fire and inhalation hazards, as with many finely divided reactive metals. Soluble erbium salts should be handled as irritants and potential systemic toxicants because rare-earth ions can interact with biological ligands. Erbium has no known essential biological role. Natural erbium is only weakly radioactive in the practical sense; isotope-specific radiation hazards apply mainly to artificially produced radioisotopes.
Erbium is dispersed in the crust in rare-earth minerals such as monazite and xenotime, always mixed with chemically similar lanthanides. Weathering can release Er³⁺ into soils and sediments, where it tends to bind to clays, phosphates, carbonates, and organic matter rather than remain highly mobile. It has no established biological function, and environmental concern is usually linked to mining, separation reagents, and waste streams rather than to erbium alone.
Erbium is obtained as a by-product of rare-earth mining and separation, not from ores mined specifically for erbium. Processing relies on solvent extraction or ion-exchange methods to separate it from neighboring lanthanides with very similar chemistry. Demand is specialized and strongly tied to optical materials, lasers, and colorants, so the market is much smaller than for major light rare earths or magnet materials. Recycling is limited because erbium is often present as a dilute dopant in glass or ceramics, where recovery is technically possible but rarely economical.
Found with other heavier rare earths in xenotime and euxerite.
Erbium is a trace element in the cosmos. Its stable isotopes were made mainly by slow and rapid neutron-capture processes in earlier generations of stars, followed by incorporation into interstellar dust and later planetary material. In meteorites and rocky planets it behaves as a refractory lithophile rare earth and is concentrated with other lanthanides rather than forming separate phases.
- The name erbium comes from Ytterby, the Swedish village that also gave names to yttrium, terbium, and ytterbium.
- Er³⁺ in glass can amplify light directly inside an optical fiber without converting the signal to electricity.
- Erbium oxide is pink, although the pure metal is silvery.
- Natural erbium contains several stable isotopes, with ¹⁶⁶Er the most abundant.
- Erbium and holmium discoveries were historically entangled because rare-earth oxides were difficult to separate.
Immagini
Proprietà
Fisiche
- Raggio atomico (empirico)
- 175 pm Confronta Raggio atomico (empirico) di tutti gli elementi →
- Raggio covalente
- 189 pm Confronta Raggio covalente di tutti gli elementi →
- Raggio di van der Waals
- 235 pm Confronta Raggio di van der Waals di tutti gli elementi →
- Densità
- 9070 kg/m³ Confronta Densità di tutti gli elementi →
- Volume molare
- 0,0184 L/mol
- Fase in condizioni STP
- Solido Confronta Fase in condizioni STP di tutti gli elementi →
- Punto di fusione
- 1528,85 °C Confronta Punto di fusione di tutti gli elementi →
- Punto di ebollizione
- 2867,85 °C Confronta Punto di ebollizione di tutti gli elementi →
- Capacità termica specifica
- 0,168 J/(g·K) Confronta Capacità termica specifica di tutti gli elementi →
- Capacità termica molare
- 28,12 J/(mol·K) Confronta Capacità termica molare di tutti gli elementi →
- Struttura cristallina
- Esagonale compatta Confronta Struttura cristallina di tutti gli elementi →
Chimiche
- Elettronegatività (Pauling)
- 1,24 Confronta Elettronegatività (Pauling) di tutti gli elementi →
- Affinità elettronica
- 0,312 eV
- Energia di ionizzazione (1ª)
- 6,1077 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (1ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (2ª)
- 11,916041 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (2ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (3ª)
- 22,700078 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (3ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (4ª)
- 42,420146 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (4ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Energia di ionizzazione (5ª)
- 65,100224 eV Confronta Energia di ionizzazione (5ª) di tutti gli elementi →
- Stati di ossidazione
- 0, +1, +2, +3 Confronta Stati di ossidazione di tutti gli elementi →
- Elettroni di valenza
- 3 Confronta Elettroni di valenza di tutti gli elementi →
- Configurazione elettronica
- [Xe] 6s2 4f12
Termodinamiche
- Calore di fusione
- 0,11815308 eV Confronta Calore di fusione di tutti gli elementi →
- Calore di vaporizzazione
- 2,902005 eV Confronta Calore di vaporizzazione di tutti gli elementi →
- Calore di sublimazione
- 3,285485 eV
- Calore di atomizzazione
- 3,285485 eV
- Entalpia di atomizzazione
- 3,279266 eV
Nucleari
- Protoni
- 68 Confronta Protoni di tutti gli elementi →
- Neutroni
- 98 Confronta Neutroni di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopi noti
- 39 Confronta Isotopi noti di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopi stabili
- 4 Confronta Isotopi stabili di tutti gli elementi →
- Isotopo più stabile
- Er-166
- Anno della scoperta
- 1843
Abbondanza
- Abbondanza (crosta terrestre)
- 3,5 mg/kg Confronta Abbondanza (crosta terrestre) di tutti gli elementi →
- Abbondanza (oceano)
- 8,7 × 10−7 mg/L Confronta Abbondanza (oceano) di tutti gli elementi →
Struttura cristallina
- Costante reticolare a
- 356 pm
Struttura elettronica
- Elettroni per guscio
- 2, 8, 18, 30, 8, 2 Confronta Elettroni per guscio di tutti gli elementi →
Identificativi
- Numero CAS
- 7440-52-0 Confronta Numero CAS di tutti gli elementi →
- Simbolo di termine
- 3H6
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Er
- Chiave InChI
- UYAHIZSMUZPPFV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Configurazione elettronica Misurato
Er: 4f¹² 6s²[Xe] 4f¹² 6s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹² 6s²Modello atomico
Gli isotopi modificano il numero di neutroni, la massa e la stabilità — non la configurazione elettronica di un atomo neutro.
Modello atomico schematico, non in scala.
Impronta atomica
Spettro di emissione / assorbimento
Distribuzione isotopica
| Numero di massa | Massa atomica (u) | Abbondanza naturale | Emivita |
|---|---|---|---|
| 164 Stabile | 163,9292088 ± 0,000002 | 1,6010% | Stabile |
| 166 Stabile | 165,9302995 ± 0,0000022 | 33,5030% | Stabile |
| 167 Stabile | 166,9320546 ± 0,0000022 | 22,8690% | Stabile |
| 168 Stabile | 167,9323767 ± 0,0000022 | 26,9780% | Stabile |
Fase / Stato
Motivo: 1503,8 °C sotto il punto di fusione (1528,85 °C)
Schema non in scala
Punti di transizione di fase
Energie di transizione
Energia necessaria per fondere 1 mol al punto di fusione
Energia necessaria per vaporizzare 1 mol al punto di ebollizione
Energia necessaria per sublimare 1 mol al punto di sublimazione
Densità
In condizioni standard
In condizioni standard
Spettri atomici
Sono visualizzati 10 di 68. Ordinamento per carica ionica crescente.
Righe disponibili ?
| Ione | Carica | Righe totali | Probabilità di transizione | Designazioni dei livelli |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Er I | 0 | 232 | 11 | 13 |
| Er II | +1 | 285 | 11 | 12 |
| Er III | +2 | 120 | 0 | 0 |
Livelli disponibili ?
| Ione | Carica | Livelli |
|---|---|---|
| Er I | 0 | 674 |
| Er II | +1 | 362 |
| Er III | +2 | 53 |
| Er IV | +3 | 10 |
| Er V | +4 | 2 |
| Er VI | +5 | 2 |
| Er VII | +6 | 2 |
| Er VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Er IX | +8 | 2 |
| Er X | +9 | 2 |
Raggi ionici
| Carica | Coordinazione | Spin | Raggio |
|---|---|---|---|
| +3 | 6 | N/D | 89 pm |
| +3 | 7 | N/D | 94.5 pm |
| +3 | 8 | N/D | 100.4 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/D | 106.2 pm |
Composti
Isotopi (4)
| Numero di massa | Massa atomica (u) | Abbondanza naturale | Emivita | Modalità di decadimento | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 164 Stabile | 163,9292088 ± 0,000002 | 1,6010% ± 0,0030% | Stabile | stable | |
| 166 Stabile | 165,9302995 ± 0,0000022 | 33,5030% ± 0,0360% | Stabile | stable | |
| 167 Stabile | 166,9320546 ± 0,0000022 | 22,8690% ± 0,0090% | Stabile | stable | |
| 168 Stabile | 167,9323767 ± 0,0000022 | 26,9780% ± 0,0180% | Stabile | stable |
Proprietà estese
Raggi covalenti (dati estesi)
- Raggio covalente (Pyykkö)
- 165 pm
- Raggio covalente (Pyykkö, legame doppio)
- 133 pm
Raggi di van der Waals
- Alvarez
- 283 pm
- UFF
- 339,1 pm
- MM3
- 267 pm
Raggi atomici e metallici
- Raggio atomico (Rahm)
- 272 pm
Scale di numerazione
- Mendeleev
- 35
- Pettifor
- 23
- Glawe
- 22
Scale di elettronegatività
- Ghosh
- 0
- Miedema
- 3
- Gunnarsson–Lundqvist
- 5
- Robles–Bartolotti
- 4
Polarizzabilità e dispersione
- Polarizzabilità dipolare
- 150 a.u.
- Polarizzabilità dipolare (inc.)
- 10 a.u.
- C₆ (Gould–Bučko)
- 2150 Ha·Bohr6
Parametri di Miedema
- Volume molare di Miedema
- 18,45 cm3/mol
- Densità elettronica di Miedema
- 2
Rischio di approvvigionamento ed economia
- Concentrazione della produzione
- 97
- Rischio relativo di approvvigionamento
- 10
- Distribuzione delle riserve
- 50
- Stabilità politica (principale produttore)
- 24
- Stabilità politica (principale detentore di riserve)
- 24
Transizioni di fase e allotropi
| Punto di fusione | 1802,15 K |
| Punto di ebollizione | 3141,15 K |
Categorie degli stati di ossidazione
Dati di riferimento avanzati
Costanti di schermaggio (13)
| n | Orbitale | σ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | s | 1,3263 |
| 2 | p | 4,346 |
| 2 | s | 17,7984 |
| 3 | d | 13,6397 |
| 3 | p | 20,3891 |
| 3 | s | 20,9231 |
| 4 | d | 35,7288 |
| 4 | f | 40,0216 |
| 4 | p | 32,8908 |
| 4 | s | 31,768 |
Dettaglio dei raggi cristallini (4)
| Carica | CN | Spin | rcrystal (pm) | Origine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | VI | 103 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | VII | 108,5 | ||
| 3 | VIII | 114,4 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | 120,2 | from r^3 vs V plots, |
Modalità di decadimento degli isotopi (52)
| Isotopo | Modalità | Intensità |
|---|---|---|
| 142 | p | — |
| 143 | B+ | — |
| 143 | B+p | — |
| 144 | B+ | — |
| 145 | B+ | 100% |
| 145 | B+p | — |
| 146 | B+ | 100% |
| 146 | B+p | — |
| 147 | B+ | 100% |
| 147 | B+p | — |
Fattori di diffusione dei raggi X (514)
| Energia (eV) | f₁ | f₂ |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | — | 0,18333 |
| 10,1617 | — | 0,18626 |
| 10,3261 | — | 0,18925 |
| 10,4931 | — | 0,19229 |
| 10,6628 | — | 0,19537 |
| 10,8353 | — | 0,1985 |
| 11,0106 | — | 0,20168 |
| 11,1886 | — | 0,20739 |
| 11,3696 | — | 0,21399 |
| 11,5535 | — | 0,2208 |
Dati aggiuntivi
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
3.5 milligrams per kilogram
Riferimenti (1)
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
8.7×10-7 milligrams per liter
Riferimenti (1)
Riferimenti
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) is one of 17 national laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab's primary mission is to conduct basic research of the atom's nucleus using the lab's unique particle accelerator, known as the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). For more information visit https://www.jlab.org/
The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Erbium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.