What Is Terbium

Name Origin From Ytterby, Sweden. "Terbium" in different languages. Sources Terbium is never found as a free element in nature, it is found with other rare earth metals in minerals such as cerite (Ce9Fe(SiO4)6(SiO3)(OH)3), gadolinite, monazite, xenotime and euxenite ((Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6). Primary producers are the USA, Brazil, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Around 10 tons are produced annually.Abundance Universe: 5 x 10-4 ppm (by weight) Sun: 5 x 10-4 ppm (by weight) Carbonaceous meteorite: 0.04 ppm Earth's Crust: 1.1 ppm Seawater: Atlantic surface: 1 x 10-7 ppm Atlantic deep: 1.5 x 10-7 ppm Pacific surface: 8 x 10-8 ppm Pacific deep: 2.5 x 10-7 ppm Uses Terbium is rare and expensive, so it has few commercial uses. It is used in alloys, as a fuel cell stablizer, lasers and in the production of compact discs. Also used in the production of electronic devices. Sodium terbium borate is used in solid state devices.