Yttrium - Y
Yttrium (Y) is a chemical element with atomic number 39. This page summarises its properties, uses and environmental context, with notes for water and process-treatment engineers.
Properties · Uses and occurrence · Health · Environment · Water and treatment
Chemical properties of yttrium
| Symbol / atomic number | Y / 39 |
|---|---|
| Group / period / block | 3 / 5 / d |
| Standard atomic weight | 88.905 838(2) |
| Electron configuration | [Kr] 4d1 5s2 |
| Common oxidation state(s) | +3 |
| Density (20 °C) | 4.47 g cm−3 |
| Melting point | 1522 °C |
| Boiling point | 3345 °C |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.22 |
| Non-bonded atomic radius | 0.232 nm |
| First ionisation energy | 599.878 kJ mol−1 |
| Representative isotopes | 89Y (stable) |
| CAS registry number | 7440-65-5 |
Standard atomic weight follows CIAAW. Parentheses indicate uncertainty in the final quoted digits. Other physical and atomic data follow the Royal Society of Chemistry. Non-bonded atomic radii are method-dependent.
Yttrium: properties, uses and occurrence
Yttrium compounds are used in phosphors, LEDs, lasers, optical glass and specialty ceramics. Yttrium occurs in minerals such as xenotime, monazite and bastnäsite; it is not found in nature as a free metal. Natural yttrium consists of the stable isotope 89Y.
Health and safety
Yttrium has no known biological role. Soluble yttrium salts can be harmful; exposure depends on the compound, dose and route. Avoid treating the elemental metal and its soluble compounds as interchangeable.
Yttrium in the environment
Yttrium is commonly associated with rare-earth minerals. Once released to natural waters, its distribution among dissolved complexes and particles can depend on pH, carbonate, organic ligands and interactions with mineral surfaces.
Yttrium in water and treatment
Yttrium is not a routine water-treatment control parameter. If it is detected in a process stream, specify whether the result is dissolved or total, document filtration and preservation, and characterize pH and relevant ligands before selecting a removal or recovery process. Total concentration alone may not describe the dissolved species available for treatment.
Yttrium page last reviewed: by Lenntech.
Back to the periodic table of elements.