Element 68 · Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
Erbium
Erbium amplifies the optical signals running through every fibre optic cable in the global internet.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Er
ATOMIC NO.
68
ATOMIC WEIGHT
167.26
CATEGORY
Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
PERIOD
Period 6
GROUP
Group 3
Discovery & History
Erbium was one of several rare earth elements isolated from the mineral gadolinite found at the famous Ytterby quarry near Stockholm, Sweden. Discovered in 1843 by Carl Gustaf Mosander and named after the village of Ytterby (which also gives its name to ytterbium, yttrium, and terbium). Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, erbium oxide was used to give a distinctive rose-pink colour to glass and porcelain glazes.
Quick Overview
Erbium is element 68, also named for Ytterby. Erbium-doped fibre amplifiers (EDFAs) revolutionised long-distance fibre optic communication — they amplify optical signals directly without requiring electrical conversion.
Where It's Used
Erbium-doped fibre amplifiers in submarine and long-haul fibre optic communications networks. Erbium-doped lasers for medical applications. Pink colouring in glasses and ceramics.
Can You Sell It?
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Erbium:
Erbium in fibre optic equipment is at parts-per-million concentration in optical fibres. Not commercially recoverable at scrap-yard level.
Price Guide
Erbium oxide trades at approximately £20–80/kg. Not a standard scrap material. Primarily sourced from Chinese rare earth refining operations.