Trace Sciences International

Ytterbium Isotopes

Nominal Mass
Accurate Mass
% Natural Abundance
Chemical Form
Enrichment Available %

168 Yb

167.933894 (5)

0.13 (1)

oxide

22 – 42+

170 Yb

169.934759 (4)

3.04 (15)

oxide

72 – 83+

171 Yb

170.936323 (3)

14.3 (57)

oxide

91 – 95+

172 Yb

171.936378 (3)

21.83 (67)

oxide

95 – 97+

173 Yb

172.938208 (3)

16.13 (27)

oxide

89 – 92+

174 Yb

173.938859 (3)

31.8 (92)

oxide

86 – 99+

176 Yb

175.942564 (4)

12.7 (41)

oxide

96 – 99+

Ytterbium has seven stable isotopes and two of them are used for medical and industrial purposes. Yb-168 is used for the production of Yb-169 and this radioisotope is used as a radiation source in gamma cameras. Yb-169 is also used in the medical field where it has been proposed as an alternative for I-125 and Pd-103 in the treatment of prostate cancer while it is also used for diagnostics in the gastrointestinal tract. Yb-176 can be used as a target for the production of carrier-free Lu-177 with a high specific activity. Yb-171 in an excited state has been proposed as an optical frequency standard, while the other Yb isotopes are used in various physics experiments.