Acetates Borates

Erbium (atomic symbol: Er, atomic number: 68) is a Block F, Group 3, Period 6 element with an atomic radius of 167.259. The number of electrons in each of Erbium's shells is [2, 8, 18, 30, 8, 2] and its electron configuration is [Xe]4f¹² 6s². The erbium atom has a radius of 176 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 235 pm.

Sources of Erbium include the mineral monazite and sand ores. Erbium is a member of the lanthanide or rare earth series of elements. In its elemental form, erbium is soft and malleable it is fairly stable in air and does not oxidize as rapidly as some of the other rare earth metals. Erbiums ions fluoresce in a bright pink color, making them highly useful for imaging and optical applications.

Erbium(III) Acetate Hydrate is a moderately water soluble crystalline Erbium source that decomposes to Erbium oxide on heating. It is generally immediately available in most volumes. Through various experiments, it has been proved that if the temperature climbs up to 590°C, the amorphous Er₂O₂CO₃ decomposes endothermally to give Er₂O₃ as a final decomposition product.

All metallic acetates are inorganic salts containing a metal cation and the acetate anion, a univalent (-1 charge) polyatomic ion composed of two carbon atoms ionically bound to three hydrogen and two oxygen atoms (Symbol: CH₃COO) for a total formula weight of 59.05. Acetates are excellent precursors for production of ultra high purity compounds, catalysts, and nanoscale materials.

The thermal decomposition of metal acetates is occasionally used as a means of preparing metal and metal oxide catalysts, some of which are of industrial importance. The decomposition of rare earth metals carboxylates, however, has received considerably less attention with little agreement in the decomposition temperature, nature and stability of the intermediates and the stoichiometry of the final oxide products.