What is yttrium found in

In , a Swedish chemist named Carl Gustaf Mosander studied yttrium samples and discovered they contained three oxides. At the time they were called yttria, erbia and terbia. They are now known as white yttrium oxide, yellow terbium oxide, and rose-colored erbium oxide, respectively.

A fourth oxide, ytterbium oxide, was identified in Though yttrium was discovered in Scandinavia, it is far more plentiful in other countries. China, Russia, India, Malaysia and Australia are the leading producers of yttrium. In April , scientists discovered what they think is a massive deposit of rare earth metals , including yttrium, on a small Japanese island called Minamitori Island.

Yttrium can be found in most of the rare earth minerals, but has never been discovered in the Earth's crust as a freestanding element. Lunar rocks gathered during the Apollo moon missions contain yttrium.

The human body also contains yttrium in tiny amounts, usually concentrated in the liver, kidneys, and bones. Before the era of flat-screen televisions, TV sets contained large cathode ray tubes, which were large glass tubes that projected images on the screen. Yttrium oxide, doped with the element europium , provided the red color on millions of color-television sets. A transition metal close to the lanthanides, element 39 has found its way from a now-abandoned mine to a variety of high-tech devices.

Gadolin, J. Svenska Vetenskapsak. Google Scholar. Ekeberg, A. Article Google Scholar. Mosander, C. Wu, B. Bednorz, J. Physik B 64 , — Wu, M. Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Reprints and Permissions. Yttrium from Ytterby. Yttrium is usually found only in two different kinds of ores. The use of yttrium is still growing, due to the fact that it is suited to produce catalysers and to polish glass.

Yttrium is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolisms, especially during long-term exposure.

Yttrium can also cause cancer with humans, as it enlarges the chances of lung cancer when it is inhaled. Finally, it can be a threat to the liver when it accumulates in the human body. Yttrium is dumped in the environment in many different places, mainly by petrol-producing industries. It can also enter the environment when household equipment is thrown away. Yttrium will gradually accumulate in soils and water soils and this will eventually lead to increasing concentrations in humans, animals and soil particles.

Estimated Crustal Abundance : 3. Estimated Oceanic Abundance : 1. Number of Stable Isotopes : 1 View all isotope data. Electron Shell Configuration :.