Erbium
Erbium is a rare-earth metal whose ions can amplify light used in fibre-optic communications.
Erbium keeps optical signals useful over long distances.
Explore Erbium's atom- Atomic number
- 68
- Standard atomic weight
- 167.259(3)
- Family
- Lanthanide
- Period
- 6
- Group
- f-block
- Standard state
- Solid
In everyday life
Erbium-doped fibre amplifiers help strengthen signals in fibre-optic networks.
Something to remember
Erbium compounds can give glass a pink colour.
Meet its electrons
[Xe] 6s2 4f12
Published neutral-atom ground-state configuration; excited atoms and ions can differ.
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 30 · 8 · 2.
The playground shows an illustrative shell model. Real electrons are described by quantum orbitals, rather than tiny planets traveling along fixed paths.
A connection to explore
Erbium and yttrium were both named through minerals studied from Ytterby.
Meet Yttrium (Y)Properties and conditions
- Standard atomic weight
- 167.259(3)CIAAW 2024 standard atomic weight (dimensionless). Parentheses give uncertainty in the last quoted digits. Source flags: g.CIAAW standard atomic weights ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Standard state
- SolidPubChem classification, including explicit predictions where stated. Reference temperature and pressure are not supplied in the table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- First ionisation energy
- 6.108 eVEnergy to remove the first electron from an isolated neutral gas-phase atom. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electronegativity
- 1.24 Pauling scaleA dimensionless relative measure; values depend on the chosen scale. Uncertainty is not supplied.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Melting point
- 1802 KPubChem reported value. Pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Boiling point
- 3141 KPubChem reported value. Pressure and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; consult the cited source.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Density
- 9.07 g/cm³PubChem reported value. Temperature, pressure, allotrope and measurement uncertainty are not specified in the table; gas densities are especially condition-dependent.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Oxidation states
- +3Selected PubChem oxidation states; formal electron bookkeeping, not a list of stable free-ion charges or every possible compound.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Discovery
- 1843PubChem discovery attribution. Ancient knowledge and competing priority claims cannot always be represented by a single year.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Atomic radius
- 235 pmPubChem tabulated radius. Radius definitions depend on bonding and convention; measurement definition and uncertainty are not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
- Electron affinity
- Not reportedPubChem reported gas-phase electron affinity. Sign conventions and electronic states matter; uncertainty is not supplied in this table.PubChem periodic table ↗ · Retrieved 2026-10-15
Isotopes, abundance and decay
Isotopes share a proton count but have different neutron counts. This selection includes naturally tabulated compositions and a reference isotope for other elements. It is not a list of every known isotope.
Explore 6 isotopes of Er
| Isotope | Relative atomic mass | Natural fraction | Half-life | Decay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Er-162 | 161.9287884(20) | 0.00139(5) | No decay observed | ;A ?;2β+ ? |
| Er-164 | 163.9292088(20) | 0.01601(3) | No decay observed | ;A ?;2β+ ? |
| Er-166 | 165.9302995(22) | 0.33503(36) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| Er-167 | 166.9320546(22) | 0.22869(9) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| Er-168 | 167.9323767(22) | 0.26978(18) | No decay observed | No decay tabulated |
| Er-170 | 169.9354702(26) | 0.14910(36) | No decay observed | ;2β− ?;A ? |
Fractions use NIST’s terrestrial isotopic compositions, which can vary by sample. Parentheses denote uncertainty in the last digits. Half-lives and decay branches use NUBASE2020; # marks estimates, >/< mark limits. “No decay observed” follows that evaluation and does not prove permanent stability. Decay branch intensities are percentages; SF means spontaneous fission, EC electron capture, IT an isomeric transition.
Follow the science
Use these original references to explore the data and context. Atomic weights can vary with isotope composition; values for elements without stable isotopes may describe a representative isotope rather than a standard atomic weight.