Lutetium (Lu) – Periodic Table (Element Information & More)

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Lutetium Element (Lu) Information

Appearance	Silver white appearance
State (at STP)	Solid
Position in Periodic table	Group: lanthanides, Period: 6, Block: f
Category	Inner transition metals
Atomic number or  Protons	71
Neutrons	104
Electrons	71
Symbol	Lu
Atomic mass	174.97 u
Electrons arrangement or  Bohr model	2, 8, 18, 32, 9, 2
Electronic configuration	[Xe] 4f14 5d1 6s2
Atomic radius	221 picometers (van der Waals radius)
1st Ionization energy	5.426 eV
Electronegativity	1.27 (Pauling scale)
Crystal structure	HCP (Hexagonal close packed)
Melting point	1925 K or 1652 °C or 3006 °F
Boiling point	3675 K or 3402 °C or 6156 °F
Density	9.84 g/cm3
Main isotope	175Lu
Who discovered Lutetium and when?	Georges Urbain and Carl Auer von Welsbach (in 1906)
CAS number	7439-94-3

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Lutetium in Periodic table

Lutetium element is in period 6 and in lanthanide group of the Periodic table. Lutetium is the f-block element and it belongs to inner transition metals group.

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Why is Lutetium in Period 6?

Let me ask you a question.

How many shells does lutetium have?

It’s 6. Right?

You have already seen the bohr model of lutetium atom in the above table.

From the Bohr model, it can be found that the number of orbits or shells in lutetium is 6. Hence, as lutetium has 6 orbits, it lies in period 6 of the Periodic table. 

7 Interesting facts about Lutetium

Interesting facts about lutetium element are mentioned below.

1. The name “Lutetium” was derived from the word “Lutetia”, which was the ancient name for Paris.
2. The lutetium element is the last rare earth metal to be discovered.
3. Lutetium was discovered by Georges Urbain and Carl Auer von Welsbach (in 1906).
4. The initial name for this element was “lutecium”, but later on the name was changed to “lutetium”.
5. The concentration of lutetium in the earth’s crust is approximately 0.6 ppm by weight.
6. Out of all the lanthanides present on the periodic table, the lutetium is the least abundant one.
7. Lutetium is not found in free state from the earth’s crust, but it is obtained from its mineral ores. The main mineral ore of lutetium is monazite.

Properties of Lutetium

The physical and chemical properties of lutetium element are mentioned below.

Physical properties of Lutetium

Physical properties of lutetium are mentioned below.

• Lutetium is the hardest lanthanide having a silvery white appearance.
• The melting point and boiling point of lutetium are 1652 °C and 3402 °C respectively.
• The atomic mass of 174.97 u and its density is 9.84 g/cm³.
• The crystal structure of lutetium is HCP (hexagonal close packing).
• There are many isotopes of lutetium, but out of those isotopes, the most abundant isotope is ¹⁷⁵Lu (having an abundance of approximately 97 %).

Chemical properties of Lutetium

Chemical properties of lutetium are mentioned below.

• When lutetium is kept open in the air, it starts tarnishing slowly.
• When lutetium is present in its compounds, it exists in its trivalent state (Lu³⁺).
• The first ionization energy of lutetium is 5.426 eV.
• The electronegativity of lutetium is 1.27 on the pauling scale.

Uses of Lutetium

Uses of lutetium are mentioned below.

• In petrochemical industries, lutetium oxide is used as a catalyst for cracking hydrocarbons. [1]
• The isotope ¹⁷⁷Lu has a long half life and it is used in treatment of cancer.
• The isotope ¹⁷⁶Lu is used in finding the age of meteorites.

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External resources:

1. Lutetium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Lutetium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/71/lutetium
2. Lutetium – Wikipedia. (2020, March 6). Lutetium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutetium
3. It’s Elemental – The Element Lutetium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Lutetium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele071.html
4. P. (n.d.). Lutetium | Lu (Element) – PubChem. Lutetium | Lu (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Lutetium