Ytterbium

Symbol	Yb
Atomic Number	70
Atomic Mass	173.045
Discovered by	Ytterbium was discovered by Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac

Group	Lanthanides	Melting point	824°C, 1515°F, 1097 K
Period	6	Boiling point	1196°C, 2185°F, 1469 K
Block	f	Density (g cm−3)	6.90
Atomic number	70	Relative atomic mass	173.045
State at 20°C	Solid	Key isotopes	¹⁷²Yb, ¹⁷³Yb, ¹⁷⁴Yb
Electron configuration	[Xe] 4f¹⁴6s²	CAS number	7440-64-4
ChemSpider ID	22428	ChemSpider is a free chemical database

Ytterbium is an element of the periodic table with an atomic number of 70, discovered by Jean de Marignac in the year 1878. The element is named after Ytterby, Sweden.
It is a white silvery, soft, ductile and rare earth metal.
It is attacked by the strong acids and reacts slowly with cold water and air. The oxide forms a protective layer on the surface when reacted or oxidized in air.
Physical properties of Ytterbium differ widely when compared to other elements.
Usually, elements will have ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic properties at low temperatures but it is paramagnetic at a temperature of 0.1 Kelvin.

Ytterbium clocks are the World’s most stable atomic clock. A large number of atoms present in the element made the clock more stable.
It is used as a doping agent to improve the strength, grain refinement and mechanical properties of stainless steel.
It also acts as an industrial catalyst.
Few alloys of Ytterbium are used in dentistry.
Ytterbium, a silvery white metal is electropositive which reacts with water to form ytterbium hydroxide.
Nowadays, this is element is used in the making of memory devices and tunable lasers.