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thulium |
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thulium (th `lēəm) [from Thule, an ancient name for Scandinavia], metallic chemical element; symbol Tm; at. no. 69; at. wt. 168.9342; m.p. about 1,545°C;; b.p. 1,947°C;; sp. gr. 9.3; valence +3. Thulium is a soft, malleable, ductile, lustrous silver-white metal. It is one of the rare-earth metals rare-earth metals, in chemistry, group of metals including those of the lanthanide series and actinide series , usually yttrium , sometimes scandium and thorium , and rarely zirconium ...... Click the link for more information. of the lanthanide series lanthanide series, a series of metallic elements, included in the rare-earth metals , in Group 3 of the periodic table . Members of the series are often called lanthanides, although lanthanum (atomic number 57) is not always considered a member of the series. ..... Click the link for more information. in Group 3 of the periodic table periodic table, chart of the elements arranged according to the periodic law discovered by Dmitri I. Mendeleev and revised by Henry G. J. Moseley . In the periodic table the elements are arranged in columns and rows according to increasing atomic number (see the ..... Click the link for more information. . It does not tarnish rapidly in dry air but should be protected from moisture. It forms compounds with oxygen and the halogens, most of which are light green. The oxide, Tm2O3, is called thulia. Thulium is the least abundant of the rare-earth metals. It is found in the minerals gadolinite and euxenite and in monazite, the chief commercial source. The metal can be obtained by chemical reduction of its compounds. The pure metal and compounds have few commercial uses, but they are often used without purification in combination with the other rare-earth metals and compounds, e.g., in lighter flints and carbon electrodes for arc lighting. Although the only naturally occurring isotope (thulium-169) is stable, there are 15 unstable isotopes. Thulium-170 (half-life about 129 days), prepared by irradiating thulium-169 in a nuclear reactor, emits X rays; it is used in portable X-ray sources. Thulium was discovered in 1879 by P. T. Cleve. thulium a malleable ductile silvery-grey element occurring principally in monazite. The radioisotope thulium-170 is used as an electron source in portable X-ray units. Symbol: Tm; atomic no.: 69; atomic wt.: 168.93421; valency: 3; relative density: 9.321; melting pt.: 1545°C; boiling pt.: 1950°C How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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