Lutetium Properties (25 Facts You Should Know)

Lutetium is a white metal with a silvery gloss, resistant to corrosion in dry air but not in wet air. Let us discuss some important facts about lutetium.

Lutetium is the final lanthanide in the series and a rare earth element. Lutetium metal burns easily at 150 °C to generate lutetium oxide while being relatively unstable in the air under normal conditions. It is usually discovered with the element yttrium and coexists with it.

The chemical properties of lutetium, including its electronegativity, allotropic forms, oxidation states, block, electron configuration, and ionisation energy, will now be discussed.

Lutetium symbol

Lutetium is denoted by the symbol “Lu” in the periodic table. The Latin term “Lutetia” for Paris, is where the name of the element lutetium originates.

Lutetium group in periodic table

According to the periodic table, lutetium is a lanthanide and belongs to group 3. 

Lutetium period in periodic table

The element lutetium is placed in the 6^th period of the periodic table.

Lutetium block in periodic table

Lutetium belongs to the d-block of elements because of its 5d¹ electronic configuration structure and 5d-orbital electrons.

Lutetium atomic number

The atomic number of lutetium has 71 protons and 71 electrons, giving it an atomic number of 71.

Lutetium atomic Weight

Lutetium has an atomic mass/weight(A_r°(Lu)) of 174.9668 a.m.u. It is the hardest among the lanthanides since you can calculate an atom’s atomic weight by adding its protons and neutrons.

Lutetium Electronegativity according to Pauling

Lutetium’s electronegativity is 1.27 according to Pauling’s scale.

Lutetium atomic Density

Lutetium has an atomic density of 9.841 g/cm³ at normal temperature, while when it is liquid or melts at its melting points, it has a density of 9.3 g/cm³.

Lutetium melting point

The melting point of lutetium is 1925 K (1652 °C, 3006 °F). The lutetium atom is the smallest of the lanthanides because of lanthanide shrinkage. Lutetium thus has the greatest melting point.

Lutetium boiling point

The boiling point of lutetium is 3675 K (3402 °C, 6156 °F). 

Lutetium Vanderwaals radius

The van der Waals radius of lutetium is 221 pm(1pm=1*10^{‑12 m}).

Lutetium covalent radius

Lutetium has a covalent radius of 187 pm(1.74 Å) and an ionic radius of 85 nm in the (+3) oxidation state. The following table lists the coordination ionic centres for lutetium:

Lutetium Ion(In+ )	Coordinating Structure	Ionic Radius (1pm=1*10‑12 m)
Lu(III)	6-coordinate, octahedral	86.1
Lu(III)	8-coordinate	111.7

Lutetium isotopes

The term isotope refers to a wide range of chemical elements with identical nuclei. Let us
check the lutetium isotopes.

35 lutetium radioisotopes exist, with masses ranging from 150 to 184. In the natural world, 176-Lu and 175-Lu coexist with % of 2.6 and 97.4 respectively. There are 18 lutetium meta states, with 177mLu (t_1/2-160.4 d), 174mLu (t_1/2-142 d), and 178mLu (t_1/2-23.1 min) being the most stable ones.

Isotope of lutetium	Excitation energy	Half-life	Decay  Mode	Daughter isotopes
173Lu	172.9389306	1.37 y	EC	173Yb
174Lu	173.9403375	3.31 y	β+	174Yb
174mLu	170.83	142 d	IT (99.38%) EC (0.62%)	174Lu 174Yb
175Lu	174.9407718	Stable	Stable	Stable
176Lu	175.9426863	38.5×109 y	β− (78.3%)  EC (0.095%)	176Hf
177mLu	150.3967	130 ns	β−	177Hf
178mLu	123.8	23.1 min	β−	178Hf

Lutetium electronic shell

An electron’s energy level correlates to its electronic shell. Let us count the number of
electronic shells in lutetium.

The electron structure of lutetium has six electronic shells. There are 2, 8, 18, 32, 9, and 2 electrons in each of its electrical shells, correspondingly.

Lutetium electron configurations

Electron configuration is the distribution of electrons of an atom or molecule in atomic or molecular orbitals. Let us the electronic configuration of Lutetium.

The electronic configurations of lutetium are 1s², 2s², 2p⁶, 3s², 3p⁶, 3d¹⁰, 4s², 4p⁶, 4d¹⁰, 5s², 5p⁵, 4f¹⁴, 5d¹,6s² or [Xe] 4f¹⁴5d¹6s². Elements of period 6 are put into their shells following orders 4f, 5d, and 6s.

Lutetium energy of first ionisation

The first ionisation energy of lutetium is 523.5 kJ/mol. The ionisation energy of Lu + IE → Lu⁺ + e^– ([Xe] 4f¹⁴5d¹6s¹; Lu→Lu¹⁺), the lowest of the initial electrons of lutetium, must be removed.

Lutetium energy of second ionisation

The second ionisation energy of lutetium is 1340 kJ/mol. Significantly more of an electron is created than the first time when it is ionised again. The equation is Lu⁺ + IE → Lu²⁺ + e^– ([Xe] 4f¹⁴5d¹; Lu¹⁺→Lu²⁺).

Lutetium energy of third ionisation

Lutetium has a third ionisation energy of 2022.3 kJ/mol. The third ionisation energy is abnormally high as of 4f¹⁴ orbitals due to Lu³⁺. To remove the third electron from the partially occupied d-orbital, perform the following steps: Lu²⁺ + IE → Lu³⁺ + e^–([Xe] 4f¹⁴; Lu²⁺→Lu³⁺). 

Lutetium oxidation states

Lutetium is often found in the +3 oxidation state. It is a weakly basic oxide and can exist in several oxidation states ranging from  0,+1,+2, and +3. 

Lutetium CAS number

The CAS registration number for lutetium is 7439-94-3.

Lutetium ChemSpider ID

Lutetium has the ChemSpider ID 22371.

Lutetium allotropic forms

When compared to their chemical counterparts, allotropes behave physically differently. Let us talk about lutetium’s allotropy.

Lutetium does not exist in an allotropic state as it is a radioactive element.

Lutetium chemical classification

In the list below, lutetium can be grouped under several chemical categories.

1. Lutetium has a Hexagonal crystalline structure.
2. The element lutetium is the toughest with the smallest atomic size and the most expensive lanthanide.
3. When anhydrous fluoride and calcium metal are reduced, pure lutetium metal is created.
4. In chemical processes and metal alloys, lutetium is occasionally utilised as a catalyst.

Lutetium state at room temperature

Lutetium has a solid phase at standard or room temperature.

Is Lutetium paramagnetic?

The materials display paramagnetism, a form of magnetism when introducing a weak external magnetic field. Let us see about Lutetium’s paramagnetic properties.

Lutetium metal is paramagnetic from 0 K (273 °C, or 460 °F) to its melting point at 1,936 K. A temperature-independent magnetic susceptibility exists between 4 and 300 K (about 269 and 27 °C, or 452 and 80 °F).

Conclusion

Lutetium is found in very minute levels in almost all minerals that contain yttrium, with monazite, a commercial source, having the highest concentration (0.003%). An alkali or alkaline earth metal can reduce anhydrous LuCl₃ or LuF₃ to produce lutetium.