Erbium
Erbium is a silvery lanthanide identified in 1843 alongside terbium, both pulled from the same rare-earth mineral near Ytterby, Sweden. It's best known today for a role in fiber-optic communications that quietly keeps global internet traffic moving.
- Group · Period
- — · 6
- At room temp
- solid
- Melts at
- 1802 K
- Density
- 9.07 g/cm³
- Discovered
- 1843
Uses
Erbium’s most important modern application is in fiber-optic communications. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers use erbium atoms embedded directly in optical fiber to boost light signals as they travel, which is a major reason long-distance and undersea fiber-optic cables can carry data across oceans without needing to repeatedly convert the signal back into electricity. Erbium also has a long history as a colorant, giving glass, enamel, and ceramic glazes a distinctive pink or rose tint, and Er:YAG lasers — which are strongly absorbed by water — are widely used in dermatology and dentistry for precise tissue removal.
History
Erbium was discovered in 1843 by Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander during his re-examination of yttria, a rare-earth mineral originally found near the village of Ytterby. In the same work that identified terbium, Mosander showed that yttria was a mixture of several distinct substances rather than a single compound, and he separated erbium out as one of them. Its name continues the pattern set by yttrium: another element quietly honoring the small Swedish village where the whole story began.
Fun facts
- Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers boost light signals directly inside optical fibers, letting internet data travel huge distances through undersea cables without being converted back to electricity.
- Erbium compounds are used to give glass and ceramic glazes a pink or rose color.
- Erbium is one of four elements — along with yttrium, terbium, and ytterbium — named after the Swedish village of Ytterby.
Frequently asked questions
What does erbium have to do with the internet?
Long-distance fiber-optic cables, including the undersea cables that carry most international internet traffic, need a way to boost light signals that weaken over distance. Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers do this directly within the glass fiber itself, using erbium atoms that get excited by a pump laser and then amplify the passing signal, without ever converting it back into an electrical signal.
What other uses does erbium have besides fiber optics?
Erbium is used to tint glass and enamel a pink or rose color, a decorative use that predates its role in telecommunications. It's also used in Er:YAG lasers, which are strongly absorbed by water and are common in dermatology and dentistry for precise skin resurfacing and tooth preparation.
Why is erbium named after a Swedish village?
Erbium was discovered in ore dug from a quarry near Ytterby, Sweden, the same source that yielded yttrium, terbium, and ytterbium. Nineteenth-century chemists kept naming newly separated elements after the village as they slowly worked out that the ore contained several distinct rare earths rather than one.
Compounds
2 notable compounds containing Er
- ErCl3halide
Erbium(III) chloride
A violet-pink, hygroscopic erbium salt handled in the laboratory as its hydrate, serving as a common precursor for other erbium compounds.
Used for: Precursor for erbium-doped optical fiber amplifier glass
- Er2O3oxide
Erbium(III) oxide
A distinctive pink rare-earth oxide, the standard commercial source of erbium, prized as a colorant precisely because of its strong pink tint.
Used for: Pink colorant in glass and ceramic glazes, and cubic zirconia gemstones
Isotopes
38 known isotopes
Swipe to see all columns →
| Isotope | Natural abundance | Half-life | Decay mode | Mass excess | Binding energy / nucleon | Decay width |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Er-162 stable | 0.139% | Stable | — | -66,334.21 keV | 8,152.4 keV | — |
| Er-164 stable | 1.601% | Stable | — | -65,942.57 keV | 8,149.02 keV | — |
| Er-166 stable | 33.503% | Stable | — | -64,924.15 keV | 8,141.95 keV | — |
| Er-167 stable | 22.869% | Stable | — | -63,289.26 keV | 8,131.74 keV | — |
| Er-168 stable | 26.978% | Stable | — | -62,989.23 keV | 8,129.59 keV | — |
| Er-170 stable | 14.91% | Stable | — | -60,107.51 keV | 8,111.95 keV | — |
Show all 38 isotopes
| Er-143 | — | — | Unknown | -31,160 keV | 7,917 keV | — |
| Er-144 | — | 200 ns | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -36,608 keV | 7,956 keV | 2.28 × 10-9 eV |
| Er-145 | — | — | Unknown | -39,240 keV | 7,975 keV | — |
| Er-146 | — | 1.7 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -44,322.02 keV | 8,010.51 keV | 2.68 × 10-16 eV |
| Er-147 | — | 3.2 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%), Beta-plus, proton emission (0%) | -46,607.81 keV | 8,026.48 keV | 1.43 × 10-16 eV |
| Er-148 | — | 4.6 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%), ECP (0.15%) | -51,479 keV | 8,059.69 keV | 9.92 × 10-17 eV |
| Er-149 | — | 4 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%), ECP (7%) | -53,741.62 keV | 8,074.96 keV | 1.14 × 10-16 eV |
| Er-150 | — | 18.5 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -57,831.32 keV | 8,102.2 keV | 2.47 × 10-17 eV |
| Er-151 | — | 23.5 s | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -58,266.29 keV | 8,104.87 keV | 1.94 × 10-17 eV |
| Er-152 | — | 10.3 s | Alpha decay (90%), Electron capture / beta-plus decay (10%) | -60,500.22 keV | 8,119.35 keV | 4.43 × 10-17 eV |
| Er-153 | — | 37.1 s | Alpha decay (53%), Electron capture / beta-plus decay (47%) | -60,466.68 keV | 8,118.82 keV | 1.23 × 10-17 eV |
| Er-154 | — | 3.73 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (99.53%), Alpha decay (0.47%) | -62,604.97 keV | 8,132.39 keV | 2.04 × 10-18 eV |
| Er-155 | — | 5.3 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (99.978%), Alpha decay (0.022%) | -62,209.17 keV | 8,129.44 keV | 1.43 × 10-18 eV |
| Er-156 | — | 19.5 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%), Alpha decay (0.000017%) | -64,211.68 keV | 8,141.91 keV | 3.90 × 10-19 eV |
| Er-157 | — | 18.65 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -63,413.65 keV | 8,136.38 keV | 4.08 × 10-19 eV |
| Er-158 | — | 2.29 h | Electron capture (100%) | -65,303.82 keV | 8,147.93 keV | 5.53 × 10-20 eV |
| Er-159 | — | 36 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -64,561.12 keV | 8,142.77 keV | 2.11 × 10-19 eV |
| Er-160 | — | 28.58 h | Electron capture (100%) | -66,064.18 keV | 8,151.72 keV | 4.43 × 10-21 eV |
| Er-161 | — | 3.21 h | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -65,201.3 keV | 8,145.86 keV | 3.95 × 10-20 eV |
| Er-163 | — | 75.0 m | Electron capture / beta-plus decay (100%) | -65,167.41 keV | 8,144.74 keV | 1.01 × 10-19 eV |
| Er-165 | — | 10.36 h | Electron capture (100%) | -64,521.35 keV | 8,139.93 keV | 1.22 × 10-20 eV |
| Er-169 | — | 9.392 d | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -60,921.16 keV | 8,117.01 keV | 5.62 × 10-22 eV |
| Er-171 | — | 7.516 h | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -57,717.82 keV | 8,097.74 keV | 1.69 × 10-20 eV |
| Er-172 | — | 49.3 h | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -56,482.58 keV | 8,090.41 keV | 2.57 × 10-21 eV |
| Er-173 | — | 1.4 m | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -53,654 keV | 8,074 keV | 5.43 × 10-18 eV |
| Er-174 | — | 3.2 m | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -51,949 keV | 8,064 keV | 2.38 × 10-18 eV |
| Er-175 | — | 1.2 m | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -48,652 keV | 8,045 keV | 6.34 × 10-18 eV |
| Er-176 | — | 160 ns | Beta-minus decay | -46,631 keV | 8,034 keV | 2.85 × 10-9 eV |
| Er-177 | — | — | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -42,858 keV | 8,013 keV | — |
| Er-178 | — | 160 ns | Beta-minus decay | -40,260 keV | 7,999 keV | 2.85 × 10-9 eV |
| Er-179 | — | — | Beta-minus decay (100%) | -36,080 keV | 7,976 keV | — |
| Er-180 | — | — | Beta-minus decay (100%), Beta-minus, neutron emission | -33,180 keV | 7,960 keV | — |