erbium

erbium

a soft malleable silvery-white element of the lanthanide series of metals: used in special alloys, room-temperature lasers, and as a pigment. Symbol: Er; atomic no.: 68; atomic wt.: 167.26; valency: 3; relative density: 9.006; melting pt.: 1529?C; boiling pt.: 2868?C

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

erbium

[′ər·bē·əm]

(chemistry)

A trivalent metallic rare-earth element, symbol Er, of the yttrium subgroup, found in euxenite, gadolinite, fergusonite, and xenotine; atomic number 68, atomic weight 167.26, specific gravity 9.051; insoluble in water, soluble in acids; melts at 1400-1500°C.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

erbium

A rare earth material used in optical amplifiers. See EDFA.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Erbium

 

Er, a chemical element. Atomic number, 68; atomic weight, 167.26. Erbium is one of the lanthanides.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.