erbium

/'ə:biəm/

Thân thiện

A scientist examines a sample of erbium under a bright laboratory light.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group: Erbium is a chemical element (symbol Er) belonging to the lanthanide series on the periodic table. It is a soft, malleable, silvery-white metal.
   • Occurs with yttrium: In nature, erbium is not found as a free element but is typically found in mineral ores that also contain yttrium and other rare-earth elements.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Erbium is used in some optical amplifiers.
  • The scientist isolated a sample of erbium from the mineral gadolinite.
  • The laser's active medium was a crystal doped with erbium ions.

Advanced Usage

• "Erbium-doped": A common technical term describing a material (like glass or a crystal) that has had erbium ions added to it to alter its optical properties.
  • Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are crucial for long-distance fiber-optic communication.

Variants and Related Words

• Erbia (n): An archaic name for erbium oxide (Er₂O₃).
• Erbium oxide (n): A compound of erbium and oxygen, often a pink powder used in ceramics and glass coloring.

Synonyms

• Element 68: Referring to its atomic number.
• Er: Its chemical symbol.

Related Phrases

• Rare-earth element: The category to which erbium belongs.
• Lanthanide series: The specific group of rare-earth elements that includes erbium.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Er
• atomic number 68