A rare-earth element that has a silvery-metallic luster. Symbol, Y. Occurs in
nearly all of the rare-earth minerals. Recovered commercially from monazite
sand and from bastnasite. Widely used: in color television tubes; to reduce the
grain size in chromium, molybdenum, zirconium, and titanium; to increase the
strength of aluminum and magnesium alloys; as a deoxidizer for vanadium and
other nonferrous metals; in nuclear technology for its high neutron
transparency. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 3
Source:
Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms
