Yttrium is a chemical element with the symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a "rare-earth element".

What does the name yttrium mean?

Johan Gadolin. Origin of the name. Yttrium is named after Ytterby, Sweden. Allotropes.

What is yttrium made up of?

Yttrium is found in the rare-earth mineral monazite, of which it makes 2.5%, and in smaller quantities in other minerals such as barnasite, fergusonite and smarskite.