Ytterbium is a bright silvery metal that is relatively stable in air and reacts slowly in water. The metal is soft, quite ductile, and malleable. It is a mixture of seven stable isotopes. At ambient temperatures it has a face-centered cubic structure, a density of 6.965 gm/cm3,a melting point of 819 °C, and a boiling point of 1196 °C. Above 798 °C to its melting point, ytterbium’s structure transforms to body-centered cubic with a density of 6.54. Ytterbium oxide, or ytterbia, occurs as a sesquioxide with the formula Yb2O3. The oxide is a white powder with a specific gravity of 9.17gm/cm3, a melting point of 2355 °C, a boiling point of 4070 °C, and a formula weight of 394.08.
Ytterbium is used in some solar cells,optical glasses, crystals, and ceramics. It can be utilized as a doping material for high power solid-state lasers and as an alloy that helps to strengthen stainless steel. Like Thulium, Ytterbium is employed in portable x-ray machines where electricity is not available.
Purity: Yb/TREM = 99.9 - 99.99% min
Packing: In iron drums with inner double PVC bags of 100kg net each, or packed according to customers' specifications.
