The world's most reliable Stable Isotopes Supplier
| 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.