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#39 Y - Yttrium

Discovered in: 1794

Discovered by: Johann Gadolin of Finland

Description: Named after a city in Sweden, yttrium is a soft, gray-white metal. It is fairly stable in air (as long as it is not ground up), but reacts with water, acids and bases. Moon rocks show an unusually high yttrium content. Yttrium is used as a phosphor in TV screens, producing the red color. Other uses include a microwave filter as well as a catalysts. When alloyed with aluminum, magnesium and chromium, it acts to strengthen those metals. It is also used as a material in superconductors and lasers. An isotope of yttrium, Y90, is used in needles for certain surgical procedures.

Biological Rating: No known benefit to life processes.

Biological Benefits: Yttrium has no know biological use.

Percentage Amount in the Human Body: Near 0 %

Obtained from: Yttrium is present in nearly all rare-earth minerals. It is obtained by mining the minerals bastnasite, fergusonite, monazite, samarskite and xenotime, which are mined in the USA, China, Australia, India and Brazil.

Other yttrium-bearing minerals include gadolinite and polycrase.

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