Rare Material

Rare Metals or Rare Earth Elements or Rare Earth Metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements. Rare Earth Elements, due to their geochemical properties, are typically dispersed and not often found in concentrated and economically exploitable forms. The few economically exploitable deposits are known as Rare Earth Minerals.

Scandium

Atomic Number: 21
Symbol: Sc

History: It got its name from Latin Scandia (Scandinavia), where the first rare earth ore was discovered.

Applications/Uses: Light aluminium-scandium alloy for aerospace components, additive in Mercury-vapor lamps.

Yttrium

Atomic Number: 39
Symbol: Y

History: It has been named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden, where the first rare earth ore was discovered.

Applications/Uses: Yttrium-aluminium garnet (YAG) laser, yttrium vanadate (YVO4) as host for europium in TV red phosphor, YBCO high-temperature superconductors, yttrium iron garnet (YIG) microwave filters.

Lanthanum

Atomic Number:57
Symbol: La
Rarity: 0.7ppb

History: It got its name from the Greek “lanthanein”, meaning to be hidden.

Applications/Uses: High refractive index glass, flint, hydrogen storage, battery-electrodes, camera lenses, fluid catalytic cracking catalyst for oil refineries

Samarium

Atomic Number: 62
Symbol: Sm
Rarity: 1ppb

History: It has been named after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets, who discovered the rare earth ore samarskite.

Applications/Uses: Rare-earth magnets, lasers, neutron capture, masers.

Europium

Atomic Number:63
Symbol: Eu

History: It has been named after the continent of Europe.

Applications/Uses: Red and blue phosphors, lasers, mercury-vapor lamps, NMR relaxation agent.

Gadolinium

Atomic Number:64
Symbol: Gd

History: It has been named after Johan Gadolin (1760–1852), to honor his investigation of rare earths.

Applications/Uses: Rare-earth magnets, high refractive index glass or garnets, lasers, X-ray tubes, computer memories, neutron capture, MRI contrast agent, NMR relaxation agent.

Terbium

Atomic Number:65 
Symbol: Tb 

History: It has been named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden. 

Applications/Uses: Green phosphors, lasers, fluorescent lamps.

Dysprosium

Atomic Number:66
Symbol: Dy

History: It got its name from the Greek “dysprositos”, meaning hard to get.

Applications/Uses: Rare-earth magnets, lasers.

Holmium

Atomic Number:67 
Symbol: Ho 

History: It has been named after Stockholm (in Latin, “Holmia”), native city of one of its discoverers. 

Applications/Uses: Lasers. 

Erbium

Atomic Number:68 
Symbol: Er 

History: It has been named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden. 

Applications/Uses: Lasers, vanadium steel.

Thulium

Atomic Number:89 
Symbol: Tm 

History: It has been named after the mythological northern land of Thule. 

Applications/Uses: Portable X-ray machines. 

Ytterbium

Atomic Number:70 
Symbol: Yb 

History: It has been named after the village of Ytterby, Sweden. 

Applications/Uses: Infrared lasers, chemical reducing agent. 

Lutetium

Atomic Number:71 
Symbol: Lu 

History: It has been named after Lutetia, the city which later became Paris. 

Applications/Uses: PET Scan detectors, high refractive index glass.