terbium
Sign in to saveTerbium is a chemical element; it has symbol Tb and atomic number 65. It is a silvery-white, rare earth metal that is malleable and ductile. The ninth member of the lanthanide series, terbium is a fairly electropositive metal that reacts with water, evolving hydrogen gas. Terbium is never found in nature as a free element, but it is contained in many minerals, including cerite, gadolinite, monazite, xenotime and euxenite.
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Terbium is a rare silvery-white metal that belongs to a group of elements called the lanthanides and is never found pure in nature, only within certain minerals. While terbium is reactive and relatively easy to work with physically, its practical applications and importance depend on its specific chemical and industrial uses.
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Article
15 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Physical properties
- Chemical properties
- Oxidation states
- Compounds
- Isotopes
- History
- Occurrence
- Production
- Applications
- Safety
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Terbium is a chemical element; it has symbol Tb and atomic number 65. It is a silvery-white, rare earth metal that is malleable and ductile. The ninth member of the lanthanide series, terbium is a fairly electropositive metal that reacts with water, evolving hydrogen gas. Terbium is never found in nature as a free element, but it is contained in many minerals, including cerite, gadolinite, monazite, xenotime and euxenite.
Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered terbium as a chemical element in 1843. He detected it as an impurity in yttrium oxide (). Yttrium and terbium, as well as erbium and ytterbium, are named after the village of Ytterby in Sweden. Terbium was not isolated in pure form until the advent of ion exchange techniques.