The Element Thulium


Would you be surprised to hear that thulium is as rare as silver, gold or cadmium? Thulium as a pure metal has a bright silvery luster. Although it is relatively stable on exposure to air, arrangements should be made to protect it from moisture. The element in its pure form is soft, malleable and ductile that it can be cut with a knife.

Applications of thulium are not many, however the most widely used occurrence is it being used to create laser light. It should be noted that high temperature superconductors use thulium as a better cathode than yttrium although the costs involved are very high.

Atomic Number & Chemical Properties


Element Basics:

Chemical Symbol: Tm
Atomic Number: 69
Atomic Weight: 168.93421
Element Classification: Rare Earth Element (Lanthanide Series)
Discovered By: Per Theodor Cleve
Date of Discovery: 1879 (Sweden)
Origin of Name: Thule, ancient name of Scandinavia.

How to Recognize it at a Party:

Soft, malleable, ductile, silvery metal

Seriously Atomic Information:

Density (g/cc): 9.321
Melting Point (°K): 1818
Boiling Point (°K): 2220
Atomic Radius (pm): 177
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.1
Covalent Radius (pm): 156
Ionic Radius: 87 (+3e)
Pauling Negativity Number: 1.25
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 589
Oxidation States: 3, 2
Electronic Configuration: [Xe] 4f13 6s2

Getting Intimate with Thulium:

Lattice Structure: Hexagonal (HEX)
Lattice Constant (Å): 3.540
Lattice C/A Ratio: 1.570
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.160
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): n/a
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 232
Thermal Conductivity (@25°C W/m K):
Debye Temperature (°K): n/a


Society's Questions About Thulium:

Have you ever wondered what everyone else in the world thinks about Thulium? Is anyone else looking for it too? If so, why? What do they want?

The following list shows the most common online questions about the element Thulium. Are your questions the same or different from everyone else's?

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