yttrium

American  

[i-tree-uhm] / ˈɪ tri əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare trivalent metallic element, found in gadolinite and other minerals. Y; 88.905; 39; 4.47.

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yttrium British  

/ ˈɪtrɪəm /

noun

1. a silvery metallic element occurring in monazite and gadolinite and used in various alloys, in lasers, and as a catalyst. Symbol: Y; atomic no: 39; atomic wt: 88.90585; valency: 3; relative density: 4.469; melting pt: 1522°C; boiling pt: 3338°C

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yttrium Scientific  

/ ĭt′rē-əm /

1. A silvery metallic element found in the same ores as elements of the lanthanide series. Yttrium is used to strengthen magnesium and aluminum alloys, to provide the red color in color televisions, and as a component of various optical and electronic devices. Atomic number 39; atomic weight 88.906; melting point 1,522°C; boiling point 3,338°C; specific gravity 4.45 (25°C); valence 3.

2. See Periodic Table

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Other Word Forms

• yttric adjective

Etymology

Origin of yttrium

1815–25; < New Latin, named after Ytterby. See ytterbia, -ium

Example Sentences

The rugged hills surrounding Ganzhou are home to the world's largest mining and processing operations of the strategic "heavy" elements, including dysprosium, yttrium and terbium.

From Barron's

Visited this month by AFP, the southeastern mining region of Ganzhou -- which specialises in "heavy" rare earths including yttrium and terbium -- was a hive of activity.

From Barron's

Heavy rare-earth elements include dysprosium, terbium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, and yttrium.

From Barron's

These include scandium, yttrium and the lanthanides, which account for 15 chemical elements in the periodic table.

From MarketWatch

The region holds deposits of many of the very elements China has placed under export controls: yttrium, scandium, erbium, europium, ytterbium, samarium, and lutetium.

From Barron's