The element yttrium was discovered at the end of the 18th century. However, only in the last few decades this soft silvery metal has found wide application in various fields: chemistry, physics, computer technology, energy, medicine and others. Electronic formula of yttrium (atom): Y - 1s 2 2s 2 2p 6 3s 2 3p 6 4s 2 3d 10 4p 6 4d 1 5s 2.
Facts
Atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus): 39.
Atomic symbol (in the periodic table of elements): Y.
Atomic mass: 88, 906.
Properties: yttrium melts at 2772 degrees Fahrenheit (1522 degrees Celsius); boiling point - 6053 F (3345 ° C). The density of the metal is 4.47 grams per cubic centimeter. At room temperature, it is in a solid state. In air, it is covered with an oxide protective film. In boiling water, oxygen is oxidized, it reacts with mineral, acetic acids. When heated, it can interact with elements such as halogens, hydrogen, nitrogen,sulfur and phosphorus.
Description
The chemical element yttrium in the periodic table is among the transition metals. They are characterized by strength and at the same time pliability, so some of them, such as copper and nickel, are widely used for wire. Yttrium wires and rods are also used in electronics and solar power generation. Yttrium is also used in lasers, ceramics, camera lenses and dozens of other items.
The chemical element yttrium is also one of the rare earth elements. Despite this name, they are quite numerous throughout the world. There are 17 known in total.
However, yttrium is rarely used on its own. Typically, it is used to form compounds such as yttrium, barium and copper oxide. Thanks to this, a new phase of research into high-temperature superconductivity was opened. Yttrium is also added to metal alloys to improve corrosion and oxidation resistance.
History
In 1787, a Swedish army lieutenant and part-time chemist named Carl Axel Arrhenius discovered an unusual black rock while exploring a quarry near Ytterby, a small town near the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Thinking he had discovered a new mineral containing tungsten, Arrhenius sent a sample to Johan Gadolin, a Finnish mineralogist and chemist, for analysis.
Gadolin isolated the chemical element yttrium in a mineral that was later named after himgadolinite. The name of the new metal, respectively, came from Ytterby, the place of its discovery.
In 1843, a Swedish chemist named Carl Gustav Mosander examined samples of yttrium and found that they contained three oxides. At that time they were called yttrium, erbium and terbium. These are now known as white yttrium oxide, yellow terbium oxide, and pink erbium oxide, respectively. A fourth oxide, ytterbium oxide, was identified in 1878.
Sources
Although the chemical element yttrium was discovered in Scandinavia, it is much more abundant in other countries. China, Russia, India, Malaysia and Australia are its leading producers. In April 2018, scientists discovered a huge deposit of rare earth metals, including yttrium, on a small Japanese island called Minamitori.
It can be found among most rare earth minerals, but it has never been found in the earth's crust as a standalone element. The human body also contains this element in tiny amounts, usually concentrated in the liver, kidneys and bones.
Use
Before the era of flat screen televisions, they had large cathode ray tubes that projected an image onto a screen. Yttrium oxide doped with europium provided the red color.
It is also added to zirconium oxide (zirconium dioxide) to obtain an alloy that stabilizes the latter's crystal structure, which usually changes undertemperature.
Synthetic garnets made from yttrium-aluminum composite were sold in large quantities in the 1970s, but they eventually gave way to zirconium. Today, they are used as crystals that amplify light in industrial lasers. In addition, they are used for microwave filters, as well as in radar and communications technology.
The chemical element yttrium is widely used for the production of phosphors. They have found use in cell phones and large screens, as well as fluorescent lamps (linear and compact).
The radioactive isotope yttrium-90 is used in radiation therapy to treat cancer.
Ongoing Research
Yttrium is easier and cheaper to work with than many other elements, according to scientists. For example, researchers are using it instead of much more expensive platinum to develop fuel cells. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology and the Technical University of Denmark are using it along with other rare earth metals in nanoparticle form, which could one day eliminate the need for fossil fuels and improve the efficiency of battery-powered cars.
Research into yttrium-based superconductivity continues around the world. Breakthroughs are being made, in particular, in the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Physicist Paul Chu and his team at the University of Houston have discovered that a compound of yttrium, barium, and copper oxide (known as yttrium-123) can contribute tosuperconductivity at about minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 184.4 degrees Celsius). They have created a material that can be cooled with liquid nitrogen, which will greatly reduce the cost of future applications of superconductivity. However, its potential uses have not yet been fully explored.
