Yttrium (Noun)
Meaning
A silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- Yttrium is often used in high-temperature superconductors, phosphors, and in the production of microwave filters.
- The most important mineral source of yttrium is bastnäsite, a rare-earth fluorocarbonate mineral.
- Gadolinium, yttrium, and lutetium are also used in magnetic resonance imaging.
- Yttrium aluminium garnet, Y3Al2(AlO4)3, with a neodymium dopant is used as the active laser material in high-power solid-state lasers.
- Rare-earth ceramics containing yttrium oxide and zirconium oxide are used in making crucibles for melting uranium and thorium and as a structural material for nuclear applications.