Erbium
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Description
A rare earth metal of the yttrium group. Erbium is a soft malleable, metallic solid that forms pink salts as a chloride, oxide, oxalate, nitrate and sulfate. Erbium occurs in small amounts in the following minerals: xenotime, fergusonite, gadolinite, euxenite, polycrase, blomstrandine. It is present in the earth's crust at concentrations of 2.8 ppm. Erbium is primarily used as a phosphor to convert infrared radiation to visible light. It is also used in lasers and as a pink colorant for glass and porcelain.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Er
Risks
- Powdered erbium is flammable.
- Contact may cause irritation.
- Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Physical and Chemical Properties
| Composition | Er (atomic no, 68) |
|---|---|
| CAS | 7440-52-0 |
| Melting Point | 1529 C |
| Density | 9.066 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | atomic wt 167.26 |
| Boiling Point | 2868 C |
Resources and Citations
- 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 3679