Lutetium oxide
Properties
Chemical formula: Lu₂O₃
Name: Lutetium(III) oxide / lutetium oxide
CAS No.: 12032-20-1
Molar mass: 397.94 g/mol
Density: 9.42 g/cm³
Melting point: approx. 2427 °C
Color: white
Form: fine powder
Solubility: insoluble in water, slowly soluble in strong mineral acids
Lutetium oxide (Lu₂O₃), also known as lutetium(III) oxide, is an inorganic compound belonging to the group of rare-earth oxides. It is typically supplied as a fine, odorless white powder and is characterized by very high density and excellent thermal stability.
Lutetium oxide is insoluble in water but dissolves slowly in strong mineral acids, forming the corresponding lutetium(III) salts. With a melting point of approximately 2427 °C, Lu₂O₃ is suitable for demanding high-temperature, optical and functional material applications.
The Lu³⁺ ion has a completely filled 4f shell, making lutetium oxide diamagnetic and free from pronounced intrinsic absorption in the visible spectral range. This makes it a suitable transparent host matrix for high-density scintillators and phosphors. Lu₂O₃ also offers a high refractive index and a wide band gap of approximately 5.8 eV.
Lutetium oxide is commonly produced by thermal calcination of lutetium oxalate or lutetium hydroxide at temperatures above 1000 °C. Its combination of high density, optical properties and thermal stability makes it particularly valuable for scintillation systems, laser technology, microelectronics and specialty ceramics.
The element lutetium is used both as lutetium metal and in the form of specialized compounds. Lutetium and its compounds are relevant for optical technologies, lasers, radiation detectors, microelectronics, catalysis and high-performance ceramics.
Would you like to buy lutetium oxide? Auremo offers lutetium oxide, lutetium metal and other rare metals. The lutetium price, lutetium metal price and lutetium price per kg primarily refer to metallic lutetium, while the price of lutetium oxide depends on purity, particle size, order quantity and delivery conditions.
Advantages
• Very high material density
• Effective absorption of X-rays and gamma radiation in suitable detector materials
• Transparent host matrix for optical and scintillation systems
• No pronounced intrinsic absorption in the visible spectral range
• Extremely high thermal stability
• Stability at temperatures above 2400 °C
• High refractive index
• Wide band gap
• Suitable for high-performance ceramics and functional materials
Applications
• Scintillation detectors
• LuAG and LSO crystals
• Positron emission tomography (PET)
• High-energy physics
• Laser and optical technology
• Host material for Yb- and Er-doped lasers
• Infrared-transparent optical materials
• Semiconductor industry and microelectronics
• High-k dielectrics
• Catalysis
• Specialty and high-performance ceramics
• Materials science and research
Auremo offers a wide range of lutetium, lutetium oxide and other rare metals at competitive prices. If you have any questions about Lu₂O₃, lutetium metal, available purity grades, particle sizes or delivery conditions, please contact us directly.
