Every time you stream a video, send a message, or scroll your feed, erbium is working for you. This soft silvery metal hides inside fiber-optic cables that wrap around the planet. Erbium-doped amplifiers keep light signals from fading over thousands of kilometers.
Without erbium, the modern internet would grind to a halt. But this lanthanide has other tricks: its ions tint glass a delicate pink, and erbium lasers safely resurface skin in dermatology clinics. It even got its name from the tiny Swedish village of Ytterby — birthplace of three other elements.
Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered erbium in 1843 by separating it from the mineral yttria. In pure form, it's a soft metal with a density of 9.07 g/cm³ — heavier than steel. It slowly tarnishes in air, forming a thin oxide layer.
Erbium's superpower is its ability to amplify light at 1,550 nm — the exact wavelength used by fiber-optic communication lines. Thanks to erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA), signals cross oceans without needing electrical repeaters.
Metallic erbium has low toxicity and is safe during normal handling. However, fine erbium dust is flammable and irritates eyes and airways. Erbium compounds should be used in well-ventilated areas. The metal slowly oxidizes in air, so it is stored in dry conditions or under inert gas. Standard protective equipment — gloves and safety goggles — is sufficient for safe work.
Without erbium, the internet would need signal repeaters every 100 km. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) let light travel over 5,000 km without converting to electricity.
Er³⁺ ions color glass and crystals a delicate pink. That's why erbium is added to decorative glass, gemstones, and even photo filters.
The village of Ytterby in Sweden gave its name to four elements: erbium, terbium, yttrium, and ytterbium. No other place on Earth holds that record.
The erbium laser (2,940 nm wavelength) is perfectly absorbed by water in skin cells. Dermatologists use it for wrinkle resurfacing, scar removal, and pigmentation treatment — safely and precisely.
Erbium-167 has a high neutron absorption capacity. This makes it useful in nuclear reactor control rods as an additional safety barrier.
Erbium is paramagnetic with an exceptionally high magnetic moment of 9.3 Bohr magnetons. Below 19 K it becomes antiferromagnetic, and below 80 K it enters a conical magnetic phase.
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
162Er | 161.928778 | 0.14% | stable | — |
164Er | 163.929200 | 1.61% | stable | — |
166Er | 165.930293 | 33.61% | stable | — |
167Er | 166.932048 | 22.93% | stable | — |
168Er | 167.932370 | 26.78% | stable | — |
170Er | 169.935464 | 14.93% | stable | — |
Separation from yttria