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euxenite
Ytterbium
Ytterbium is never found in nature as free element. Its abundance in Earth's crust by is weight
of 3200 ppb (parts per billion – 10
9
). Ytterbium is found in the ore monazite sand [(Ce, La,
etc.)PO4] and an ore containing small amounts of all the rare earth metals. It is also found in
the ores euxenite and xenotime. It is difficult to separate from other rare earth elements.
Ion exchange and solvent extraction techniques developed since the 1940's have lowered the
cost of production.
Natural abundance:
168
Yb 0.13%,
170
Yb 3.04%,
171
Yb 14.28%,
172
Yb 21.83%,
173
Yb 16.13%,
174
Yb 31.83%,
176
Yb 12.76%
Melting point: 824
°
C, Density: 6.73
g.cm -3