Yttrium

4.47 (NIOSH, 2024) - Denser than water; will sink

4.47 g/cu cm

4.47

4.47 @25 °C

4.47

Iron-gray, lustrous powder; darkens on exposure to light

Hexagonal, silvery-metallic colored element...gray-black when finely divided. Brittle...harder than zinc.

Soluble in hot H2O (NIOSH, 2024)

Decomposes in water

Soluble in dilute acids and potassium hydroxide solution

Soluble in hot H2O

5301 °F at 760 mmHg (NIOSH, 2024)

3345 °C

5301 °F

3345 °C @760 [mm Hg]

5301 °F

2732 °F (NIOSH, 2024)

1522 °C

1526 °C

2732 °F

1522 °C

2732 °F

0 mmHg (approx) (NIOSH, 2024)

6.66X10-11 Pa at 1000 K; 2.96x10-7 Pa at 1200 K; 1.17x10-4 Pa at 1400 K; 1.02x10-2 Pa at 1600 K; 0.316 Pa at 1800 K; 4.27 Pa at 2000 K; 35.9 Pa at 2200 K

0 mmHg (approx)

0 mmHg (approx)

Soft silvery-white metal in bulk. Dark-gray to black odorless powder. Mp: 1509 °C; bp 2927 °C. Density: 4.47 g cm-3 at 20 °C. May irritate the respiratory tract if inhaled as a powder. May irritate the digestive tract if swallowed. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation.

Dark-gray to black, odorless solid; [CAMEO] Some compounds, e.g., nitrates, are soluble in water; [ACGIH]

Solid

Dark-gray to black, odorless powder. Soft silvery-white metal in bulk.

Dark-gray to black, odorless solid.

Natural yttrium contains but one isotope, yttrium-89. Forty-three other unstable isotopes and isomers have been characterized.

Oxidizes on heating in air or oxygen; decomposes on cold water slowly, in boiling water rapidly.

Known only in the tripositive state

Heat of fusion = 11.43 kJ/mol; Heat of sublimation = 424.7 kJ/mol at 25 °C

Standard enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K, 0.0 kJ/mol (crystal); entropy at 298.15 K, 44.4 J/mol-K (crystal); Heat capacity, 26.5 J/mol-K (crystal); Standard enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K, 421.3 kJ/mol (gas phase); Gibbs free energy of formation, 381.1 kJ/mol (gas phase); entropy at 298.15 K, 179.5 J/mol-K (gas phase); Heat capacity 25.9 J/mol-K (gas phase).

This chemical does not meet GHS hazard criteria for 56.8% (180 of 317) of all reports.

Danger

H228 (31.2%): Flammable solid [Danger Flammable solids]

P210, P222, P231, P233, P240, P241, P261, P264, P270, P271, P273, P280, P301+P317, P302+P335+P334, P302+P352, P304+P340, P317, P321, P330, P362+P364, P370+P378, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Aggregated GHS information provided per 317 reports by companies from 9 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.

Warning

Status: Active Update: 12-12-2022 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/22904

Yttrium, powder: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard

TLV Basis: pulmonary fibrosis in rats after single intratracheal administration of a very large dose; In animal studies, it is moderately toxic by the intraperitoneal route; A dose of 50 mg/kg caused hepatic necrosis. Workers producing yttrium europium vanadate phosphor and inhaling an average of 1.4 mg/m3 complained of irritation of the skin, eyes and respiratory tract; This effect was attributed to vanadium. [ACGIH] See the radionuclide, Yttrium-90. See RARE EARTH METALS and linked occupational diseases.

YTTRIUM in bulk is stable in air due to the formation of oxide films. Powder or dust is light-sensitive and air-sensitive and flammable in the air and (Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference, p. 861 (1987)). Reacts with water to form gaseous hydrogen (H2). Reacts with strong oxidizing agents, strong acids, strong bases, and halogens. The products of these reactions are irritating and toxic.

Flam. Sol. 2 (31.2%)

Specific target organ toxicity - Single exposure - Category 2 (lung)

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for Yttrium:

(General first aid procedures)

1.0 [mg/m3], as Y

1 mg/m³ [1986]

1.0 [mg/m3], as Y

1 mg/m³

TWA 1 mg/m3 [*Note: The PEL also applies to other yttrium compounds (as Y).]

3.0 [mg/m3]

83 [mg/m3]

500 [mg/m3]

1 mg/m³

TWA 1 mg/m3 [*Note: The REL also applies to other yttrium compounds (as Y).]

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for Yttrium:

Respirator Recommendations: Up to 5 mg/cu m: (APF = 5) Any quarter-mask respirator.

Respirator Recommendations: Up to 10 mg/cu m: (Assigned Protection Factor = 10) Any particulate respirator equipped with an N95, R95, or P95 filter (including N95, R95, and P95 filtering facepieces) except quarter-mask respirators. The following filters may also be used: N99, R99, P99, N100, R100, P100. (Assigned Protection Factor = 10) Any supplied-air respirator.

Respirator Recommendations: Up to 25 mg/cu m: (Assigned Protection Factor = 25) Any supplied-air respirator operated in a continuous-flow mode. (Assigned Protection Factor = 25) Any powered air-purifying respirator with a high-efficiency particulate filter.

Respirator Recommendations: Up to 50 mg/cu m: (Assigned Protection Factor = 50) Any air-purifying, full-facepiece respirator with an N100, R100, or P100 filter. (Assigned Protection Factor = 50) Any supplied-air respirator that has a tight-fitting facepiece and is operated in a continuous-flow mode. (Assigned Protection Factor = 50) Any powered, air-purifying respirator with a tight-fitting facepiece and a high-efficiency particulate filter. (Assigned Protection Factor = 50) Any self-contained breathing apparatus with a full facepiece. (Assigned Protection Factor = 50) Any supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece.

For more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Complete) data for YTTRIUM, ELEMENTAL (7 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

500 mg Y/m3 (NIOSH, 2024)

500.0 [mg/m3]

500 mg/cu m

500 mg/m³

500 mg/m3 (as Y)

Basic treatment: Establish a patent airway. Suction if necessary. Watch for signs of respiratory insufficiency and assist ventilations if needed. Administer oxygen by nonrebreather mask at 10 to 15 L/min. Monitor for pulmonary edema and treat if necessary ... . Monitor for shock and treat if necessary ... . Anticipate seizures and treat if necessary ... . For eye contamination, flush eyes immediately with water. Irrigate each eye continuously with normal saline during transport ... . Do not use emetics. For ingestion, rinse mouth and administer 5 mL/kg up to 200 mL of water for dilution if the patient can swallow, has a strong gag reflex, and does not drool ... . Cover skin burns with dry sterile dressings after decontamination ... . /Poison A and B/

Advanced treatment: Consider orotracheal or nasotracheal intubation for airway control in the patient who is unconscious, has severe pulmonary edema, or is in respiratory arrest. Positive pressure ventilation techniques with a bag valve mask device may be beneficial. Consider drug therapy for pulmonary edema ... . Monitor cardiac rhythm and treat arrhythmias as necessary ... . Start an IV with D5W TKO /"To keep open", minimal flow rate/. Use lactated Ringer's if signs of hypovolemia are present. Watch for signs of fluid overload. For hypotension with signs of hypovolemia, administer fluid cautiously. Watch for signs of fluid overload ... . Treat seizures with diazepam (Valium) ... . Use proparacaine hydrochloride to assist eye irrigation ... . /Poison A and B/

Used in the nuclear industry and in the production of incandescent gas mantles, alloys of iron and other metals, high-temperature metal coatings, television screen phosphors, and YAG lasers; [ACGIH]

Metal Preparation and Pouring [Category: Foundry]

Yttrium is used ... in iron and other alloys, in incandescent gas mantles, as a deoxidizer for metals, in coatings of high temperature metals, in television screen phosphors, and in yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) lasers.

Yttrium: ACTIVE

Yttrium compounds and metal were imported from several sources in 2004; Yttrium compounds and metals were imported from China (85.4%), the Netherlands (7.74%), Japan (3.72%), Austria (1.41%), Belgium (1.08%), Hong Kong (0.42%), and the Republic of Korea (0.19%).

In general yttrium is found together with the lanthanides and occurs in minerals such as monazite, bastnasite, xenotime, yttrialite, gadonilite, yttriocrasite, and in complex minerals such as samarskite and euxenite. Monazite sand contains 3% Y and bastnasite about 0.2%. Xenotime (from Malaysia) contains about 60% Y. The most important sources of monazite sand are in Florida, Australia, India, Malaysia, and Brazil. The abundance of yttrium in the earth's crust is about 0.0028%.