Yttrium (Y)
"The Red-Screen Ranger, the hero who created the bright red color on old TV screens."
A memorable persona to anchor Y in your mind.
4.472
Grams per cm³
1522
Celsius (°C)
219
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Yttrium is found in the red phosphor in old cathode-ray tube television sets.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1794
Discovered By
Johan Gadolin
Origin of Name
"Yttrium is named after Ytterby, Sweden."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
88.906 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
3345°C
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d15s2
1st Ionization Energy
6.217 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Yttrium is a silvery-white, lustrous metal."
Did You Know?
It is named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden. Incredibly, three other elements—terbium, erbium, and ytterbium—are also named after this same small village.
Yttrium was a critical component in producing the red color on old cathode-ray tube (CRT) television and computer screens.
Yttrium is used to make powerful lasers, such as YAG (yttrium-aluminium-garnet) lasers, which are used for cutting metal and in medical procedures.
It is often classified as a rare earth element due to its chemical similarities and its tendency to occur in the same mineral deposits.