Yttrium

Yttrium is a silvery metallic chemical element with atomic number 39. Its compounds are used in phosphors, lasers, superconductors, and high-performance ceramics.

Yttrium aluminum garnet: Yttrium aluminum garnet is a synthetic crystal used in lasers, optics, and jewelry. It forms the host crystal in the widely used neodymium:YAG laser.
Chemical element: A chemical element is a pure substance defined by atoms with the same number of protons. Yttrium is defined by the 39 protons in each of its atoms.
Johan Gadolin: Johan Gadolin was a Finnish chemist who analyzed the mineral later named gadolinite in 1794. His analysis identified an earth associated with the mineral that eventually yielded yttrium.
Scandium: Scandium is a metallic chemical element with atomic number 21 and is also classified as a rare-earth element. Its position above yttrium in group 3 makes it a useful comparison in chemistry and materials.
Yttrium-89: Yttrium-89 is the only stable isotope of yttrium and accounts for nearly all naturally occurring yttrium. Its stable nucleus gives natural yttrium a single dominant isotope.
Yttrium oxide: Yttrium oxide is a refractory ceramic compound used in phosphors, coatings, and optical materials. It supplies yttrium to red phosphors and stabilizes zirconia ceramics.
Atomic number: Atomic number is the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus and identifies its chemical element. Yttrium’s atomic number, 39, determines its position in the periodic table.
Ytterby: Ytterby is a village on the Swedish island of Resarö, known for minerals that yielded several elements. Yttrium takes its name from this locality, whose quarry supplied its discovery mineral.
Zirconium: Zirconium is a metallic chemical element with atomic number 40, used in nuclear reactors and ceramics. It neighbors yttrium in the periodic table and forms the ceramic stabilized by yttrium oxide.
Yttrium-90: Yttrium-90 is a radioactive isotope that emits beta particles and is used in some cancer treatments. Its short-lived radioactivity provides a medical use distinct from stable yttrium compounds.

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