Lutetium was the last of the rare earth metals to be discovered. It is also the final element of the lanthanides. In its pure form, lutetium is very reactive and ignites easily. It is rare and currently has few uses, mainly as part of catalysts in petroleum refining processes.
Summary of properties (Lu)
| Atomic weight | 174.9668(1) |
| Discoverer (year) | Urbain, Georges (1907) |
| Natural form | metallic solid (hexagonal) |
| Electron configuration | [Xe] 4f 14 5d1 6s2 |
| Melting point (ºC) | 1656 |
| Boiling point (ºC) | 3315 |
| Abundance in earth's crust (ppm) | 0.8 |
| Isotope (abundance) | 175Lu (97.41), 176Lu (2.59) |
| Density g/cm3 | 9.84 |
| Van der Waals radius (pm) | 224 |
| Covalent radius (pm) | 172 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.27 |
| Vaporization enthalpy (kJ/mol) | 428.00 |
| Enthalpy of fusion (kJ/mol) | 22.00 |
| Specific heat capacity (J/g·K) at 25ºC and 1 atm | 0.15 |
| Thermal conductivity (W/cm·K) at 25ºC and 1 atm | 0.160 |
| Oxidation state | +3 |
| Electron affinity (eV) | 0.34 |
| 1st Ionization potential (eV) | 5.4259 |
