the.com/yttrium
a forgotten metal hiding in your phone, lasers, and cancer-killing medicine alike
means A soft, silvery-metallic chemical element (symbol Y, atomic number 39) used in phosphors, LEDs, lasers, superconductors, and some medical treatments.
from Named for Ytterby, a tiny quarry village near Stockholm, Sweden — an unassuming spot that turned out to be a goldmine of rare-earth elements. From a single Ytterby mineral, chemists teased out four elements, all named after the place: yttrium, terbium, erbium, and ytterbium. The metal was first isolated in the early 19th century, making Ytterby possibly the most chemically honored hamlet on Earth.
- village named
- named for Ytterby, Sweden, a tiny mining hamlet
- element factory
- that village gifted four elements its name
- laser core
- powers YAG lasers cutting metal and eyes
- cancer fighter
- radioactive yttrium-90 targets liver tumors
- superconductor
- key to magnets that levitate above tracks
yttrium vanadate phosphors — used in red phosphors for crt television screens and computer monitors since the 1960s
yttrium barium copper oxide — first high-temperature superconductor discovered in 1987, critical temperature 92k
yttrium iron garnet — synthetic crystal used in microwave filters and isolators in telecommunications since the 1970s