 Discovery Information |
| Who:
Johann Gadolin
|
| When: 1794 |
| Where: Finland |
|
| Name Origin |
| From the town of Ytterby, Sweden. |
|
| Sources |
| This element is found in almost all rare earth minerals (including monazite, xenotime, and yttria) and in uranium ores but is never found in nature as a free element. |
|
| Uses |
| Combined with europium to make red phosphors for colour TV's. Yttrium oxide and iron oxide combine to form a crystal garnet used in radars. It is also used to increase the strength of aluminium and magnesium alloys. Also used in lasers, camera lenses and fireproof bricks. Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) has a hardness of 8.5 and is a simulated diamond. |
|
| Notes |
| Lunar rock samples from the Apollo program have a relatively high yttrium content. |
| Although most people will never come in to contact with compounds containing this element it worth knowing that they are highly toxic. |
