| Reactions of Ytterbium |
 Reactions with water |
| Ytterbium is quite electropositive and reacts slowly with cold water and quite quickly with hot water to form ytterbium hydroxide
and hydrogen gas.
|
2Yb(s) + 6H2O(g) 2Yb(OH)3(aq) + 3H2(g) |
| Reactions with air |
| Ytterbium is quite electropositive and reacts slowly with cold water and quite quickly with hot water to form ytterbium hydroxide
and hydrogen gas.
|
| 4Yb + 3O22Yb2O3 |
| Reactions with halogens |
| Ytterbium metal reacts with all the halogens to form ytterbium(III) halides. |
| 2Yb(s) + 3F2(g)2YbF3(s) |
| 2Yb(s) + 3Cl2(g)2YbCl3(s) |
| 2Yb(s) + 3Br2(g)2YbBr3(s) |
| 2Yb(s) + 3I2(g)2YbI3(s) |
| Reactions with acids |
| Ytterbium metal dissolves readily in dilute sulphuric acid to form solutions containing the colourless aquated Yb(III) ion together with hydrogen gas.
|
| 2Yb(s) + 3H2SO4(aq)2Yb3+(aq) + 3SO42-(aq) + 3H2(g) |
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