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Rare Earths

Introduction

The term “rare earths” is somewhat misleading as they are actually rare metals. The first “rare earths” were isolated as oxides in the 18th and 19th centuries which were then called “earths”. A term that continues to be used today.

Rare earths actually comprise 17 chemical elements, all belonging to the third group in the periodic table of elements. Rare earths are found as major constituents or in trace amounts in over 250 rare minerals, primarily in oxides, phosphates, and silicates.

The first rare earth element, yttrium, was first isolated in Sweden in 1794.
Lutetium was isolated as the last element in this group in 1905.
15 of these elements belong to the lanthanide group and have related properties.
The other two elements, yttrium and scandium, are from the same period in the periodic table of elements, have similar physical and chemical characteristics and often occur in the same geological environment.

The 15 lanthanides are:
Lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pr, a highly unstable element, rarely found in nature), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

The most important minerals and ores with rare earth metals are:
Bastnasite, gadolinite, monazite, loparite, and REE bearing ion adsorption clays.