A tiny Swedish village called Ytterby holds a world record in chemistry. Four elements are named after it — and yttrium was the first. In 1794, Finnish chemist Johan Gadolin analyzed a dark mineral from a quarry near Ytterby and found something new. That discovery kicked off an entire era of rare earth science.
Today, yttrium hides inside everyday technology. The red glow on your screen? An yttrium phosphor. The laser cutting metal or fixing eyesight? An yttrium crystal. The superconductor levitating a high-speed train? Yttrium again.
Yttrium is a silvery metal that forms a thin oxide film in air. This film shields it from further corrosion. Chemically, yttrium behaves like the lanthanides, even though it officially sits in Group 3 as a transition metal.
The Earth's crust contains about 33 ppm of yttrium — more than lead. The label 'rare earth' is historical: these elements are hard to separate from each other, not necessarily scarce. Major deposits lie in China, Australia, and India. Yttrium is relatively affordable at around $30–40 per kilogram.
Metallic yttrium has low toxicity but is flammable — fine shavings can ignite from a spark. Dust and fumes from yttrium compounds irritate the lungs. Prolonged exposure may cause pneumoconiosis. The metal should be stored in a dry place. The radioactive isotope ⁹⁰Y demands strict radiation-safety protocols because it emits beta particles.
The village of Ytterby in Sweden is a record-holder in chemistry. Four elements are named after it: yttrium (Y), ytterbium (Yb), terbium (Tb), and erbium (Er).
The red color on every LED screen and energy-saving lamp comes from the phosphor Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺, which is based on yttrium oxide.
The YBCO superconductor (YBa₂Cu₃O₇) was the first to work at liquid-nitrogen temperature (-196 °C). That made superconductivity hundreds of times cheaper.
Cubic zirconia — the popular diamond substitute in jewelry — depends on yttrium to stabilize its crystal structure.
The radioactive isotope ⁹⁰Y is used in medicine for targeted cancer radiotherapy. It destroys tumors from the inside while sparing healthy tissue.
The Nd:YAG laser, built on an yttrium-aluminum-garnet crystal, is the most common solid-state laser in the world. It cuts metal, removes tattoos, and performs eye surgery.
| Isotope | Mass (u) | Abundance | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
89Y | 88.905848 | 100.00% | stable | — |
Analysis of gadolinite