Editing Ytterbium (section)

==Production==
It is relatively difficult to separate ytterbium from other lanthanides due to its similar properties. As a result, the process is somewhat long. First, minerals such as [[monazite]] or [[xenotime]] are dissolved into various acids, such as [[sulfuric acid]]. Ytterbium can then be separated from other lanthanides by [[ion exchange]], as can other lanthanides. The solution is then applied to a [[resin]], to which different lanthanides bind with different affinities. This is then dissolved using [[complexing agent]]s, and due to the different types of bonding exhibited by the different lanthanides, it is possible to isolate the compounds.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Gelis | first1 = V. M. | last2 = Chuveleva | first2 = E. A. | last3 = Firsova | first3 = L. A. | last4 = Kozlitin | first4 = E. A. | last5 = Barabanov | first5 = I. R. | title = Optimization of Separation of Ytterbium and Lutetium by Displacement Complexing Chromatography | doi = 10.1007/s11167-005-0530-6 | journal = Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry | volume = 78 | issue = 9 | pages = 1420 | year = 2005 | s2cid = 94642269 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Hubicka | first1 = H. | last2 = Drobek | first2 = D. | doi = 10.1016/S0304-386X(97)00040-6 | title = Anion-Exchange Method for Separation of Ytterbium from Holmium and Erbium | journal = Hydrometallurgy | volume = 47 | pages = 127–136 | year = 1997 | issue = 1 | bibcode = 1997HydMe..47..127H }}</ref>

Ytterbium is separated from other rare earths either by [[ion exchange]] or by reduction with sodium amalgam. In the latter method, a buffered acidic solution of trivalent rare earths is treated with molten sodium-mercury alloy, which reduces and dissolves Yb<sup>3+</sup>. The alloy is treated with [[hydrochloric acid]]. The metal is extracted from the solution as oxalate and converted to oxide by heating. The oxide is reduced to metal by heating with [[lanthanum]], [[aluminium]], [[cerium]] or [[zirconium]] in high vacuum. The metal is purified by sublimation and collected over a condensed plate.<ref name="patnaik">{{cite book|last =Patnaik|first =Pradyot |date = 2003|title =Handbook of Inorganic Chemical Compounds|publisher = McGraw-Hill|pages = 973–975|isbn =978-0-07-049439-8| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Xqj-TTzkvTEC&pg=PA243|access-date = 2009-06-06}}</ref>