Nitrates/Sulphides

A rare earth metal of the yttrium group. Erbium is a soft malleable, metallic solid that forms pink salts as a chloride, oxide, oxalate, nitrate and sulfate. Erbium occurs in small amounts in the following minerals: xenotime, fergusonite, gadolinite, euxenite, polycrase, blomstrandine. It is present in the earth's crust at concentrations of 2.8 ppm. The molecular weight of Erbium Nitrate pentahydrate is 443.3501 g/mol with molecular formula as Er(NO₃)₃.5H₂O. It is typically insoluble in water.

Erbium nitrate is pink crystals or crystalline powder. Erbium Nitrate, an important colourant in glass manufacturing and porcelain enamel glazes, and also as main raw material for producing high purity Erbium Oxide. High purity Erbium Nitrate is applied as dopant in making optical fibre and amplifier.

Erbium nitrates are excellent precursors for production of ultra high purity compounds and certain catalyst and nanoscale (nanoparticles and nanopowders) materials. All metallic nitrates are inorganic salts of a given metal cation and the nitrate anion. The nitrate anion is a univalent (-1 charge) polyatomic ion composed of a single nitrogen atom ionically bound to three oxygen atoms (Symbol: NO3) for a total formula weight of 62.05.

Erbium has applications as an amplifier in fiber optics, and in lasers for medical and dental use. Erbium Nitrate is generally immediately available in most volumes. Erbium is primarily used as a phosphor to convert infrared radiation to visible light. It is also used in lasers and as a pink colorant for glass and porcelain.

Erbium compound materials, such as ErOOH and Er₂O₃, are recognized as one of the most important rare earth oxides for sensing applications in the lasers and optical amplifiers, due to intra Er³⁺ 4f shell transition from its first excited state (⁴I_3/2) to the ground state (⁴I_5/2).