瑞士化學家讓-夏爾·加利薩·德馬里尼亞(Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac)於1878年發現了鐿元素。他在檢驗矽鈹釔礦時,在稱為「Erbia」的氧化鉺礦物中發現了新的成份。他以礦物來源地瑞典的伊特比村(Ytterby)將該物質命名為「Ytterbia」。他懷疑Ytterbia是某種新元素的化合物,並把這種元素稱為「Ytterbium」,漢譯為鐿。[8][21]
1907年,法國化學家喬治·於爾班(Georges Urbain)發現德馬里尼亞的Ytterbia物質實際上由兩種不同的成份組成:Neoytterbia和Lutecia。Neoytterbia(意為「新Ytterbia」)也就是今天的鐿元素,而Lutecia就成了鑥元素(Lutetium)。奧地利化學家卡爾·奧爾·馮·威爾斯巴赫(Carl Auer von Welsbach)在同個時期也分離出這兩種物質,但他卻將它們命名為「Aldebaranium」和「Cassiopeium」;[8]美國化學家查爾斯·詹姆士(Charles James)也同時獨立分離出這些新元素。[23]於爾班和威爾斯巴赫互相指責對方在看過自己的研究結果後才發表論文。[24][25][26]當時審理新元素命名的是由弗蘭克·威格爾斯沃斯·克拉克(Frank Wigglesworth Clarke)、威廉·奧斯特瓦爾德和喬治·於爾班所組成的國際原子量委員會。委員會以於爾班最早從德馬里尼亞的樣本中分離出鑥元素作為原因,在1909年決定採用於爾班的命名方案,從而解決了爭議。[24]之後,Neoytterbium一名又改回現名Ytterbium。
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