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History
Carl Gustaf Mosander discovered erbium in the year of 1843. Erbium is named after a small Swedish village called Ytterby, where the element was found in lots of parts of that village. He originally separated it into three groups called Yttria, Erbium and Terbia. It was originally a yellowish color when he fist found it. Scientist later confused their names so what Erbia is today actually was originally called Terbia, and Terbia was actually originally named Erbia. This big mix up happened in the year of 1877. In the year of 1905 two scientist named Urbian and James isolated Erbium into a very close to pure form. In 1935 scientists Bommer and Klemm created the fist truly pure form of Erbium, it was stable and was sliver and very bright and metallic looking.

Physical Properties

Erbium has an atomic mass of 167.26, and an atomic number of 68. This lands it in the section of Lanthanides on the Periodic Table. Erbium is a rare earth metal, it is 11 out of 17 of all the rare earth metals, and is very malleable and ductile. When it was originally separated Erbium was a yellow looking substance, but when it was made into a pure substance it is a metallic shinny glow. Erbium’s boiling point is 5185 Fahrenheit, it also has isotopes with atomic value between 150 and 173.

Ceramic Uses

Erbium is used in many types of ceramics. Erbium Oxide makes a pink look, which has been used to make ceramics and glass the color they are. They are used by doll makers that make their dolls out of porcelain (a type of clay) use Erbium Oxide to make their dolls have pink color wherever it is necessary. Glassmakers also use Erbium to color their glass a transparent pink color. So Erbium Oxide is one of the most productive ways to use Erbium to the benefit of human kind.

Lanthanides
        
Lanthanides are the numbers 57 through 71 on the periodic table. In the group of Lanthanides there are elements such as Erbium, Terbium and many others. In Lanthanides there are many rare earth metals. These metals are very rare; you may have guessed it by its name. These metals can be found in either great quantities or not found at all. The Lanthanides are found separately on the Periodic Table below the main table.

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Erbium Oxide used to make ceramic pots

Related Elements
Terbium has an atomic number of 65. Terbium and Erbium were both found in the same small village of Ytterby, Sweden. They were also found at the same time, and they are both Lanthanides on the Periodic Table, they are also both rare earth metals. Terbium is very malleable and also quite ductile, it is o soft you can cut it with a knife.

Hazards
Although Erbium hazards have not been greatly investigated, you do have to take some precautions. Erbium is a bit toxic, which can be extremely dangerous to all type of life. It is also known to be flammable which could be potentially dangerous around a fire. When it catches on fire it is also may explode, which could lead to many potential injuries.