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Ytterbium: Oxide Reduced by Lanthanum at 1020 °C in Vacuum, Metal Distilled Off (Shindo and Yagi, US 2010/0260640)
Ytterbium boils far more easily than lanthanum. Heated with lanthanum in a vacuum, ytterbium oxide gives up its oxygen to the lanthanum, and the freed ytterbium leaves as vapour and condenses in a cooler zone, while lanthanum oxide stays behind.
Result: ytterbium metal ingots; 20 kg of distillate in the patent's run, low in sodium, potassium and lithium.
Source: Y. Shindo and K. Yagi, US patent application 2010/0260640 (2010), Example 1. Not given: how much lanthanum, the vacuum, the time, crucible and condenser materials. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Advanced
1 day
Instructions
1
1
Mix the oxide with lanthanum
Mix the oxide with lanthanum
Mix ytterbium oxide with lanthanum metal as the reducing agent. Not given: the proportions.
Materials for this step:
Ytterbium Oxide1 as requiredTools needed:
Lanthanum
Tantalum Crucible2
2
Reduce in vacuum at 1020 °C
Reduce in vacuum at 1020 °C
Heat the charge in a vacuum to 1020 °C: Yb2O3 + 2 La -> 2 Yb (vapour) + La2O3. Ours: a vacuum induction furnace; the vacuum level and time are not given.
Tools needed:
Induction Furnace
Vacuum PumpTantalum Crucible3
3
Condense the ytterbium at 200-600 °C
Condense the ytterbium at 200-600 °C
Catch the ytterbium vapour on a condenser held at 200-600 °C. Most of it settles in the 300-500 °C part; the 200-300 °C part carries the least sodium and lithium. Ours: a tantalum condenser plate.
Tools needed:
Tantalum Condenser Plate4
4
Melt into ingots under argon
Melt into ingots under argon
Take the distillate off the condenser, melt it in a crucible at 950 °C under a slight pressure of argon, and let it solidify into an ingot.
Tools needed:
Tantalum CrucibleInduction Furnace
ArgonMaterials
1- 1 as requiredPlaceholder
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