Isotopes of ytterbium
Nuclides with atomic number of 70 but with different mass numbers
Naturally occurring ytterbium (70 Yb) is composed of seven stable isotopes :[n 1] 168 Yb, 170 Yb–174 Yb, and 176 Yb, with 174 Yb being the most abundant (31.83% natural abundance ). 30 radioisotopes have been characterized, with the most stable being 169 Yb with a half-life of 32.014 days, 175 Yb with a half-life of 4.185 days, and 166 Yb with a half-life of 56.7 hours. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 2 hours, and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 20 minutes. This element also has 18 meta states , with the most stable being 169m Yb (t1/2 46 seconds).
The isotopes of ytterbium range from 149 Yb to 187 Yb. The primary decay mode before the most abundant stable isotope, 174 Yb is electron capture , and the primary mode after is beta emission . The primary decay products before 174 Yb are isotopes of thulium , and the primary products after are isotopes of lutetium . Of interest to modern quantum optics , the different ytterbium isotopes follow either Bose–Einstein statistics or Fermi–Dirac statistics , leading to interesting behavior in optical lattices .
List of isotopes
Nuclide[n 2]
Z
N
Isotopic mass (Da ) [4] [n 3] [n 4]
Half-life [1] [n 5]
Decay mode [1] [n 6]
Daughter isotope [n 7]
Spin andparity [1] [n 5]
Natural abundance (mole fraction)
Excitation energy[n 5]
Normal proportion[1]
Range of variation
149 Yb
70
79
148.96422(32)#
0.7(2) s
β+ , p
148 Er
(1/2+)
β+ (rare)
149 Tm
150 Yb
70
80
149.95831(32)#
700# ms [>200 ns]
β+ ?
150 Tm?
0+
151 Yb
70
81
150.95540(32)
1.6(5) s
β+
151 Tm
(1/2+)
β+ , p (rare)
150 Er
151m1 Yb
740(100)# keV
1.6(5) s
β+
151 Tm
(11/2−)
β+ , p (rare)
150 Er
151m2 Yb
2630(141)# keV
2.6(7) μs
IT
151 Yb
19/2−#
151m3 Yb
3287(141)# keV
20(1) μs
IT
151 Yb
27/2−#
152 Yb
70
82
151.95033(16)
3.03(6) s
β+
152 Tm
0+
152m Yb
2744.5(10) keV
30(1) μs
IT
152 Yb
(10+)
153 Yb
70
83
152.94937(22)#
4.2(2) s
β+
153 Tm
7/2−
β+ , p (0.008%)
152 Er
153m Yb
2630(50)# keV
15(1) μs
IT
153 Yb
27/2−
154 Yb
70
84
153.946396(19)
0.409(2) s
α (92.6%)
150 Er
0+
β+ (7.4%)
154 Tm
155 Yb
70
85
154.945783(18)
1.793(20) s
α (89%)
151 Er
(7/2−)
β+ (11%)
155 Tm
156 Yb
70
86
155.942817(10)
26.1(7) s
β+ (90%)
156 Tm
0+
α (10%)
152 Er
157 Yb
70
87
156.942651(12)
38.6(10) s
β+
157 Tm
7/2−
α (rare)
153 Er
158 Yb
70
88
157.939871(9)
1.49(13) min
β+ (99.99%)
158 Tm
0+
α (.0021%)
154 Er
159 Yb
70
89
158.940060(19)
1.67(9) min
β+
159 Tm
5/2−
160 Yb
70
90
159.937559(6)
4.8(2) min
β+
160 Tm
0+
161 Yb
70
91
160.937912(16)
4.2(2) min
β+
161 Tm
3/2−
162 Yb
70
92
161.935779(16)
18.87(19) min
β+
162 Tm
0+
163 Yb
70
93
162.936345(16)
11.05(35) min
β+
163 Tm
3/2−
164 Yb
70
94
163.934501(16)
75.8(17) min
EC
164 Tm
0+
165 Yb
70
95
164.935270(28)
9.9(3) min
β+
165 Tm
5/2−
165m Yb
126.80(9) keV
300(30) ns
IT
165 Yb
9/2+
166 Yb
70
96
165.933876(8)
56.7(1) h
EC
166 Tm
0+
167 Yb
70
97
166.934954(4)
17.5(2) min
β+
167 Tm
5/2−
167m Yb
571.548(22) keV
~180 ns
IT
167 Yb
11/2−
168 Yb
70
98
167.9338913(1)
Observationally Stable [n 8]
0+
0.00123(3)
169 Yb
70
99
168.93518421(19)
32.014(5) d
EC
169 Tm
7/2+
169m Yb
24.1999(16) keV
46(2) s
IT
169 Yb
1/2−
170 Yb
70
100
169.934767243(11)
Observationally Stable [n 9]
0+
0.02982(39)
170m Yb
1258.46(14) keV
370(15) ns
IT
170 Yb
4−
171 Yb
70
101
170.936331515(14)
Observationally Stable [n 10]
1/2−
0.14086(140)
171m1 Yb
95.282(2) keV
5.25(24) ms
IT
171 Yb
7/2+
171m2 Yb
122.416(2) keV
265(20) ns
IT
171 Yb
5/2−
172 Yb
70
102
171.936386654(15)
Observationally Stable [n 11]
0+
0.21686(130)
172m Yb
1550.43(6) keV
3.6(1) μs
IT
172 Yb
6−
173 Yb
70
103
172.938216212(12)
Observationally Stable [n 12]
5/2−
0.16103(63)
173m Yb
398.9(5) keV
2.9(1) μs
IT
173 Yb
1/2−
174 Yb
70
104
173.938867546(12)
Observationally Stable [n 13]
0+
0.32025(80)
174m1 Yb
1518.148(13) keV
830(40) μs
IT
174 Yb
6+
174m2 Yb
1765.2(5) keV
256(11) ns
IT
174 Yb
7−
175 Yb
70
105
174.94128191(8)
4.185(1) d
β−
175 Lu
7/2−
175m Yb
514.866(4) keV
68.2(3) ms
IT
175 Yb
1/2−
176 Yb
70
106
175.942574706(16)
Observationally Stable [n 14]
0+
0.12995(83)
176m Yb
1049.8(6) keV
11.4(3) s
IT
176 Yb
8−
β− (<10#%)
176 Lu
177 Yb
70
107
176.94526385(24)
1.911(3) h
β−
177 Lu
9/2+
177m Yb
331.5(3) keV
6.41(2) s
IT
177 Yb
1/2−
178 Yb
70
108
177.946669(7)
74(3) min
β−
178 Lu
0+
179 Yb
70
109
178.94993(22)#
8.0(4) min
β−
179 Lu
(1/2−)
180 Yb
70
110
179.95199(32)#
2.4(5) min
β−
180 Lu
0+
181 Yb
70
111
180.95589(32)#
1# min [>300 ns]
β− ?
181 Lu?
3/2−#
182 Yb[n 15]
70
112
181.95824(43)#
30# s [>300 ns]
β− ?
182 Lu?
0+
183 Yb
70
113
182.96243(43)#
30# s [>300 ns]
β− ?
183 Lu?
3/2−#
184 Yb
70
114
183.96500(54)#
7# s [>300 ns]
β− ?
184 Lu?
0+
185 Yb
70
115
184.96943(54)#
5# s [>300 ns]
β− ?
185 Lu?
9/2−#
186 Yb[5]
70
116
0+
187 Yb[5]
70
117
This table header & footer:
^ However, all seven of the isotopes are observationally stable , meaning that they are predicted to be radioactive but decay has not been observed yet.
^ m Yb – Excited nuclear isomer .
^ ( ) – Uncertainty (1σ ) is given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits.
^ # – Atomic mass marked #: value and uncertainty derived not from purely experimental data, but at least partly from trends from the Mass Surface (TMS).
^ a b c # – Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from trends of neighboring nuclides (TNN).
^
Modes of decay:
^ Bold symbol as daughter – Daughter product is stable.
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 164 Er or β+ β+ decay to 168 Er with a half-life over 130×1012 years
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 166 Er
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 167 Er
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 168 Er
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 169 Er
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 170 Er
^ Believed to undergo α decay to 172 Er or β− β− decay to 176 Hf with a half-life over 160×1015 years
^ Cluster decay daughter of 232 Th
References
^ a b c d e Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF) . Chinese Physics C . 45 (3): 030001. doi :10.1088/1674-1137/abddae .
^ "Standard Atomic Weights: Ytterbium" . CIAAW . 2015.
^ Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (2022-05-04). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)" . Pure and Applied Chemistry . doi :10.1515/pac-2019-0603 . ISSN 1365-3075 .
^ Wang, Meng; Huang, W.J.; Kondev, F.G.; Audi, G.; Naimi, S. (2021). "The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references*". Chinese Physics C . 45 (3): 030003. doi :10.1088/1674-1137/abddaf .
^ a b Tarasov, O. B.; Gade, A.; Fukushima, K.; et al. (2024). "Observation of New Isotopes in the Fragmentation of 198 Pt at FRIB". Physical Review Letters . 132 (072501). doi :10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.072501 .
Isotope masses from:
Isotopic compositions and standard atomic masses from:
"News & Notices: Standard Atomic Weights Revised" . International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry . 19 October 2005.
Half-life, spin, and isomer data selected from the following sources.
Audi, Georges; Bersillon, Olivier; Blachot, Jean; Wapstra, Aaldert Hendrik (2003), "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties" , Nuclear Physics A , 729 : 3–128, Bibcode :2003NuPhA.729....3A , doi :10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001
National Nuclear Data Center . "NuDat 2.x database" . Brookhaven National Laboratory .
Holden, Norman E. (2004). "11. Table of the Isotopes". In Lide, David R. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (85th ed.). Boca Raton, Florida : CRC Press . ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9 .
Group
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Period
Hydrogen and alkali metals
Alkaline earth metals
Pnictogens
Chalcogens
Halogens
Noble gases
①
1
2
②
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
③
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
④
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
⑤
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
⑥
55
56
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
⑦
87
88
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
⑧
119
120
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102