Erbium (Er)
MATERIAL
OVERVIEW
(Ytterby, a town in Sweden) Erbium, one of the so-called rare-earth elements on the lanthanide series, is found in the minerals mentioned under Erbium. In 1842 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. The erbia of this period was later shown to consist of five oxides, now known as erbia, scandia, holmia, thulia and ytterbia. By 1905 Urbain and James independently succeeded in isolating fairly pure Er2O3. Klemm and Bommer first produced reasonably pure erbium metal in 1934 by reducing the anhydrous chloride with potassium vapor.
The pure metal is soft and malleable and has a bright, silvery, metallic luster. As with other rare-earth metals, its properties depend to a certain extent on the impurities present. The metal is fairly stable in air and does not oxidize as rapidly as some of the other rare-earth metals. Naturally occurring erbium is a mixture of six isotopes, all of which are stable. Nine radioactive isotopes of erbium are also recognized. Recent production techniques, using ion-exchange reactions, have resulted in much lower prices of the rare-earth metals and their compounds in recent years. Most of the rare-earth oxides have sharp absorption bands in the visible, ultraviolet, and near infrared. This property, associated with the electronic structure, gives beautiful pastel colors to many of the rare-earth salts.
Erbium is finding nuclear and metallurgical uses. Added to vanadium, for example, erbium lowers the hardness and improves workability. Erbium oxide gives a pink color and has been used as a colorant in glasses and porcelain enamel glazes.
Reference: Los Alamos National Laboratory, <http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/68.html>
GENERAL
PROPERTIES
|
Symbol: |
Er |
|
Atomic
Number: |
68 |
|
Atomic
Weight: |
167.26 |
|
Density: |
9.066
gm/cc |
|
Melting
Point: |
1529
oC |
|
Boiling
Point: |
2863
oC |
|
Thermal
Conductivity: |
0.145
W/cm/oK
@ 298.2 oK |
|
Electrical
Resistivity: |
107.0
microhm-cm @ 25 oC |
|
Electronegativity: |
1.2
Paulings |
|
Specific
Heat: |
0.0401
Cal/g/oK
@ 25 oC |
|
Heat
of Vaporization: |
67
K-Cal/gm atom at 2863 oC |
|
Heat
of Fusion: |
4.10
Cal/gm mole |
|
Thermal
Neutron Cross Section: |
166
Barns per Atom |
|
Magnetic
Susceptibility: |
300x10-6
Emu
@ Room Temp |
|
Magnetic
Moment: |
10.0
Bohr Magnetons |
|
Temperature
Coefficient of Resistance: |
0.002001
@ 0 oC
to Room Temp
|
TYPICAL ANALYSES
Impurities in ppm
|
Material
/ Purity: |
3N
|
|
Al |
<100 |
|
Ca
|
<100 |
|
Fe |
100 |
|
Ho |
100 |
|
Mg |
<100 |
|
Ni |
<100 |
|
Si |
<100 |
|
Tm |
100 |
|
Yb |
100 |
|
Y |
<100 |
ERBIUM ROD
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Erbium
Rod .250” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Rod .500” |
3N |
Additional
diameters can be drawn in 2-3 days.
Rod is cut to order and sold by the inch or foot.
ERBIUM FOIL
|
Material
|
Purity |
|
Erbium
Foil .001” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .002” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .003” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .004” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .005” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .006” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .007” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .008” |
3N |
|
Erbium
Foil .009” |
3N |
Foil is
cut to order and sold by the square inch or square foot.
ERBIUM SHEET
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Erbium
Sheet .010” to 0.5” |
3N |
Sheet
thicknesses are available in increments of .001”.
Sheet is cut to order and sold by the square inch.
ERBIUM SPUTTERING
TARGETS
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 2"D X .125"T |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 2"D X .250"T |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 3"D X .125"T |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 3"D X .250"T |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 4"D X .125"T |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sputtering Target 4"D X .250"T |
3N |
Additional
sizes and sputtering targets produced from compounds are available
upon request.
ERBIUM POWDER, SHOT,
PELLETS, & INGOT
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Erbium
Chips |
3N |
|
Erbium
Pellets .250"D X .250"L |
3N |
|
Erbium
Ingot |
3N |
|
Erbium
Powder -40 Mesh, Under Oil |
3N |
|
Erbium
Powder -40 Mesh, Ampoules Under Dry Argon |
3N |
| Erbium
Powder -40 Mesh, Cans Under Dry Argon |
3N |
Powder,
pellets, and ingots are packaged to order and sold by the gram or kilogram.
ERBIUM COMPOUNDS
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Erbium
Aluminide ErAl2
1/4" Pieces by Down |
2N5 |
|
Erbium
Antimonide ErSb 1/4" Pieces by Down |
2N5 |
|
Erbium
Bismuthide ErBi 1/4" Pieces by Down |
2N5 |
|
Erbium
Boride ErB4
-100
Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Bromide ErBr3-xH2O
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Bromide ErBr3
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Chloride ErCl3-xH2O
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Chloride ErCl3
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Fluoride ErF3
1/4"-1/8" Pieces |
3N |
|
Erbium
Fluoride ErF3
1/4"-1/8" Pieces |
3N |
|
Erbium
Fluoride ErF3
-60 & -235 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Hydride ErH2-3
-40 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Iodide ErI3-xH2O
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Iodide ErI3
-60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Nitride ErN -60 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Oxide Er2O3
-325 Mesh |
3N,
5N |
|
Erbium
Oxide Er2O3
1/2" to 1/8" Pieces |
3N |
|
Erbium
Selenide Er2Se3
-100 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium
Silicide ErSi2
1/4" Pieces by Down |
3N |
|
Erbium
Sulfide Er2S3
-200 Mesh |
3N |
|
Erbium Telluride Er2Te3 -20 Mesh |
3N |
Compounds are packaged to order and sold by the gram or kilogram.
|