68

Er

Erbium
167.259 (3)
 Historical Information

In 1842 Gustav Mosander separated "yttria", found in the mineral gadolinite, into three fractions which he called yttria, erbia, and terbia. The names erbia and terbia became confused in this early period. After 1860, Mosander's terbia was known as erbia, and after 1877, the earlier known erbia became terbia.
Basic Information Shells
  • Name:Erbium
  • Symbol: Er
  • Atomic number: 68
  • Atomic weight:167.259 (3)
  • Standard state: solid at 298 K
  • Group in periodic table:
  • Group name:Lanthanoid
  • Period in periodic table: 6
  • Block in periodic table: f-block
  • Classification: Metallic
 Erbium
Uses Trivia
  • nuclear industry
  • etallurgical uses. Added to vanadium, for example, erbium lowers hardness and improves workability

As with other rare-earth metals, its properties depend to a certain extent on impurities present. The metal is fairly stable in air and does not oxidise as rapidly as some of the other rare-earth metals.