Terbium
Description
A soft, silvery gray metallic element. Terbium is a rare earth element was first identifies by C.G. Mosander in 1843. It has an abundance of 0.9 ppm in the earth's crust and occurs in apatite, monazite, cerite, gadolinite, and xenotime. Terbium is obtained as a byproduct in the processing of yttrium. It oxidizes readily in moist air and bust be handled and stored in an inert atmosphere. Metallic terbium is rarely used, but its salts have several applications . Terbium phosphate produce green phosphors for television tubes. Terbium oxide is used as a stain for ceramics. It also makes a colorless glass that has a strong blue-green fluorescence in ultraviolet light.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Tb
| Composition | Tb (atomic no. 65) |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7440-27-9 |
| Melting Point | 1356 |
| Density | 8.27-8.33 |
| Molecular Weight | atomic wt = 158.9254 |
| Boiling Point | 2480-3540 |
Hazards and Safety
Sensitive to air and moisture. Contact may cause irritation. Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 9300
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998