Return
to the Main CHEMystery Page.
Return
to the Periodic Table of the Elements
Element 39 - Yttrium (Y)
From teh town of Ytterby, Sweden, where it was discovered in 1794; a scaly metal with an iron-grey sheen. Yttrium 90, a radioactive isotope, has a dramatic medical use in needles which have replaced the surgeon's knife in killing pain-transmitting nerves in the spinal cord.
Properties
Atomic Number
:
39
Atomic Weight
:
88.9059
Electron Configuration
(at ground state):
1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
3d
10
4s
2
4p
6
4d
1
5s
2
Oxidation States
(Bold most stable):
Boiling Point
(K):
3611
Melting Point (K):
1795
Density
(at 300K -- g/cm
3
):
4.47
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm
3
/mol)
19.80
Number of stable
isotopes
:
1
Mass Number
(Bold naturally occurring) --
Half-Life
--
Disintigration Type
:
88 -- 106.6 days --
positron
emission, orbital
electron capture
Covalent Radius (Å):
1.42
Atomic Radius (Å):
1.78
First
Ionization Potential
(V):
6.38
Electronegativity
(Pauling's):
1.22
Specific Heat
Capacity (at 300K -- J g
-1
K
-1
):
0.30
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol):
393.3
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol):
17.15
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 10
6
-1
cm
-1
):
1.8
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m
-1
K
-1
):
17.2
Crystal Structure:
Hexagonal
Acid
-
Base
Properties:
Slightly basic