Thulium
Tulio (Tm, Z=69)
- Date
- 1879 · confidence high
- Place
- Uppsala, Sweden
- Credited to
- Per Teodor Cleve
- People
- 👤 Per Teodor Cleve1840–1905
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Cleve found thulium as an impurity in erbia alongside holmium, naming it after Thule, the ancient name for Scandinavia.
James obtained pure thulium in 1911 after 15,000 recrystallisations.
What it led to
- Portable X-ray sources (Tm-170)
- Thulium lasers for surgery
- Fluorescent elements in euro banknotes
Built on
- Erbia
- Fractional precipitation
Made possible
- Portable thulium radiography unit
- Thulium fibre laser