Ytterbium is a chemical element with symbol Yb and atomic number 70. It is the fourteenth and penultimate element in the lanthanide series, which is the basis of the relative stability of its +2 oxidation state. However, like the other lanthanides, its most common oxidation state is +3, seen in its oxide, halides and other compounds.
Three reasons Ytterbium stands out
- 1
An isotope of this element is used in quantum computing.
- 2
Atomic clocks built using this element are among the most precise timekeeping devices ever constructed.
- 3
Under extreme pressure, it transforms from a metallic conductor into a semiconductor, a rare and fascinating property.
A soft metal for the hardest measurements
Ytterbium contributes to optical atomic clocks so precise that height differences can be detected through relativity’s effect on time. Ytterbium-doped fiber lasers efficiently produce intense industrial beams. Under pressure, the metal’s electronic structure changes in ways that make it valuable to condensed-matter research.