Yttrium (Y)
Yttrium is used in LEDs, lasers, and superconductors. It was named after Ytterby, a village in Sweden.
Properties of Yttrium
- Atomic number
- 39
- Category
- Transition Metal
- Atomic mass
- 88.906 u
- Electron configuration
- [Kr] 4d¹ 5s²
- Melting point
- 1799 K (1525.85 °C)
- Boiling point
- 3203 K (2929.85 °C)
- Density
- 4.469 g/cm³
- Electronegativity (Pauling)
- 1.22
- Appearance
- Silvery-white metal
- Discovered by
- Johan Gadolin (1794)
Facts about Yttrium
- Yttrium is named after a tiny Swedish village called Ytterby — four elements are named after it!
- Yttrium is used to make the red color in old TV screens!
- Yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) lasers are used in surgery!
- Yttrium makes spark plugs work better in cars!