{"id":16395,"date":"2020-01-16T13:22:53","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T12:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/?p=16395"},"modified":"2026-05-04T12:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T10:55:12","slug":"rare-earth-elements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Rare Earth Elements?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-white ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/#The_Not-So-Rare_Rare_Earth_Elements\" title=\"The Not-So-Rare Rare Earth Elements\">The Not-So-Rare Rare Earth Elements<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/#Elements_That_Are_Actually_Rare\" title=\"Elements That Are Actually Rare\">Elements That Are Actually Rare<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/#Few_Deposits_and_Significant_Environmental_Impacts\" title=\"Few Deposits and Significant Environmental Impacts\">Few Deposits and Significant Environmental Impacts<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/#From_Lighters_to_Nuclear_Reactors\" title=\"From Lighters to Nuclear Reactors\">From Lighters to Nuclear Reactors<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>The group known as \u201crare earth elements\u201d has always seemed somewhat enigmatic. This is certainly due to its name, but also to the fact that these elements occupy a special position in the periodic table of chemical elements. Most chemists are highly familiar with the periodic table, yet rare earth elements can still cause a moment of hesitation. This impression, however, is misleading. These elements are neither rare nor mysterious. They play an important role in many technical applications and are also present in everyday products, from indispensable alloying constituents in turbine blades for aircraft engines to tiny magnets in headphones.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Not-So-Rare_Rare_Earth_Elements\"><\/span>The Not-So-Rare Rare Earth Elements<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rare earth elements are the 17 elements of group 3 of the periodic table:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">scandium (Sc)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">yttrium (Y)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">lanthanum (La)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Cerium (Ce)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Praseodymium (Pr)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Neodymium (Nd)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Promethium (Pm)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Samarium (Sm)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Europium (Eu)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Gadolinium (Gd)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Terbium (Tb)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dysprosium (Dy)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Holmium (Ho)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Erbium (Er)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Thulium (Tm),<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ytterbium (Yb)<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lutetium (Lu).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote><p>These metals are therefore also referred to as \u201clanthanides\u201d; the IUPAC-preferred term is \u201clanthanoids\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rare earth elements are all metals and can be divided into light and heavy rare earth elements. However, this commonly used classification is disputed because it has no scientific basis. In many cases, only lanthanum and the lanthanoids are listed as rare earth elements.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4381\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4381\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4381 size-full\" title=\"All Lanthanoids at a Glance (Except Radioactive Promethium)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Alle-Lanthanoide-auf-einen-Blick.jpg\" alt=\"rare earth elements \u2013 All Lanthanoids at a Glance\" width=\"600\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Alle-Lanthanoide-auf-einen-Blick.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Alle-Lanthanoide-auf-einen-Blick-300x97.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All lanthanoids at a glance (except radioactive promethium) | \u00a9 Tomihahndorf \u2013 de.wikipedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The different terms are partly historical in origin. The term \u201crare earths\u201d is a shortened form of \u201cmetals of the rare earths\u201d. The latter, however, is now obsolete. When these elements were discovered, they could initially be found only in rare minerals and isolated only as oxides, which were called \u201cearths\u201d at the time. Today, they can be obtained in high purity and occur in many parts of the Earth\u2019s crust. The name, however, has remained.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><div class=\"box info  \"><div class=\"box-inner-block\"><i class=\"fa tie-shortcode-boxicon\"><\/i>\n\t\t\tOther terms include \u201crare earth metals\u201d and \u201crare earth elements\u201d, often abbreviated as REE.\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Elements_That_Are_Actually_Rare\"><\/span>Elements That Are Actually Rare<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Promethium (Pm) is the only rare earth element that is actually rare. It has atomic number 61 in the periodic table of chemical elements. The naturally occurring isotope is radioactive and has a half-life of only 2.6 years. It is formed during the radioactive \u03b1-decay of the isotope europium-151, which accounts for roughly half of the natural europium isotope mixture but has an extraordinarily long half-life of 1.7 quintillion years.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/tubes-jars-and-boxes\/29743\/specimen-jar-made-of-ps-with-cover-made-of-pe\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4403 size-full\" title=\"Transparent PS (Polystyrene) Containers with Tight-Fitting PE (Polyethylene) Push-On Lids\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/praeparatedose-aus-ps-mit-stuelpdeckel-aus-pe.jpg\" alt=\"praeparatedose-aus-ps-mit-stuelpdeckel-aus-pe\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/praeparatedose-aus-ps-mit-stuelpdeckel-aus-pe.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/praeparatedose-aus-ps-mit-stuelpdeckel-aus-pe-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/tubes-jars-and-boxes\/29729\/shipment-jar-made-of-ps-with-cover\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4404 size-full\" title=\"Transparent PS (Polystyrene) Mailing Tubes with an Easy-Fitting, Well-Sealing PP (Polypropylene) Cap\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/versandroehrchen-aus-ps-mit-stopfen.jpg\" alt=\"versandroehrchen-aus-ps-mit-stopfen\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/versandroehrchen-aus-ps-mit-stopfen.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/versandroehrchen-aus-ps-mit-stopfen-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Accordingly, the promethium concentration present in natural equilibrium is extremely low. Due to its exceptionally long half-life of 1.7 \u00b7 10<sup>18<\/sup> years \u2013 by comparison, the age of the Earth is \u201conly\u201d 4.5 \u00b7 10<sup>9<\/sup> years \u2013 europium-151 is usually described in the literature as \u201cstable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The existence of an element with atomic number 61 had already been predicted by the Russian chemist Dmitri I. Mendeleev (1834\u20131907), who worked in St. Petersburg, and its discovery was reported by several authors in the 1920s. These publications, however, proved inconclusive. Promethium was not scientifically confirmed until 1945, at that time not in natural occurrences, but in uranium fission products from nuclear reactors. Its natural occurrence was not proven until the late 1950s, when radiation measurement technology had advanced sufficiently to identify the element in uranium minerals such as pitchblende.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4385\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4385\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4385 size-full\" title=\"Thulium, the Rarest Element Among the Lanthanoids\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Thulium.jpg\" alt=\"rare earth element \u2013 Thulium\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Thulium.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Thulium-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Thulium-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4385\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thulium, the rarest element among the lanthanoids | \u00a9 Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements \u2013 commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The other rare earth elements, however, are far less scarce than the name suggests: cerium, yttrium and neodymium occur more frequently in the Earth\u2019s crust than lead or molybdenum, and thulium, the rarest of these elements, is more common than gold or platinum. The fact that the 19th century saw a gold rush in America rather than a thulium rush is due to the fact that larger rare earth element deposits are indeed difficult to find.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The elements are almost always present only in very low concentrations. They also cannot be found in pure form like gold, but only as admixtures in other minerals. This makes their extraction extremely difficult.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4388\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4388\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4388 size-full\" title=\"High-Purity Neodymium in an Argon Atmosphere\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Hochreines-Neodym-in-Argon-Atmosphaere.jpg\" alt=\"rare earth element: High-Purity Neodymium in an Argon Atmosphere\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Hochreines-Neodym-in-Argon-Atmosphaere.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Hochreines-Neodym-in-Argon-Atmosphaere-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Hochreines-Neodym-in-Argon-Atmosphaere-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4388\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High-purity neodymium in an argon atmosphere | \u00a9 Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements \u2013 commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Few_Deposits_and_Significant_Environmental_Impacts\"><\/span>Few Deposits and Significant Environmental Impacts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are only very few deposits from which rare earth metals can be mined. China plays an important role here, as the world\u2019s largest deposits are located there. The most important of these is the Bayan Obo mine. The rare earth metals occur there primarily in fluoride-bearing minerals such as bastnasite. The deposits are so extensive that the mine is also the world\u2019s largest fluorspar (fluorite) source.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Inner Mongolia contains the largest deposits of rare earth elements, at 2.9 million tonnes. Outside China, the largest deposits are found in Australia, in the Mount Weld mine. At 1.4 million tonnes, however, they are only half the size of the Chinese deposits. Greenland offers an interesting prospect for mining. Deposits of 2.6 million tonnes have been identified there, although potential extraction is still being investigated.<\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/measuring-beakers-and-measuring-flasks\/31211\/erlenmeyer-flask-made-of-pc\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4408 size-full\" title=\"Heavy-Duty Erlenmeyer Flask with Graduated Scale Made of PC (Polycarbonate)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/erlenmeyer-kolben-aus-pc.jpg\" alt=\"erlenmeyer-kolben-aus-pc\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/erlenmeyer-kolben-aus-pc.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/erlenmeyer-kolben-aus-pc-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/en\/laboratory-equipment\/laboratory-containers\/test-tube-racks-and-desiccators\/29876\/desiccator-made-of-pc\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-4409 size-full\" title=\"Desiccator in Traditional Design Made of Strong, Fully Transparent PC (Polycarbonate)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/exsikkator-aus-pc.jpg\" alt=\"exsikkator-aus-pc\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/exsikkator-aus-pc.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/exsikkator-aus-pc-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">To obtain pure metals, they must be separated from the ores in a complex process and isolated from other elements. Different methods are used for rare earth element extraction, with fractional crystallization and the use of ion exchangers among the most important.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The most effective process, however, is liquid-liquid extraction. In this process, ores digested in acids and the metals dissolved in them are transferred into an organic phase with the aid of organic complexing agents. They are then precipitated as carbonates, hydroxides or oxalates and converted into oxides by calcination. Here too, with few exceptions, most production facilities are located in China. Since the separation and purification of rare earth elements are extremely complex and costly, mischmetal is also used. This is possible because these elements have similar properties.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4390\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4390\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4390 size-full\" title=\"Neodymium-Iron-Boron Compounds Are Used to Produce the Strongest Magnets\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Zur-Herstellung-staerkster-Magnete-werden-Neodym-Eisen-Bohrverbindungen-verwendet.jpg\" alt=\"Neodymium-Iron-Boron Compounds Are Used to Produce the Strongest Magnets\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Zur-Herstellung-staerkster-Magnete-werden-Neodym-Eisen-Bohrverbindungen-verwendet.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Zur-Herstellung-staerkster-Magnete-werden-Neodym-Eisen-Bohrverbindungen-verwendet-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4390\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neodymium-iron-boron compounds are used to produce the strongest magnets | \u00a9 nikkytok \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The extraction of rare earth elements places a considerable burden on the environment. For every tonne mined, between 10,000 and 12,000 cubic meters of toxic and corrosive exhaust gases are produced. These gases include hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide, among others. In addition, up to 75 cubic meters of acidic wastewater are generated.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_Lighters_to_Nuclear_Reactors\"><\/span>From Lighters to Nuclear Reactors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Although rare earth metals are so difficult to obtain, they can nevertheless be found almost everywhere. In plasma screens, europium provides the red component, while lanthanum is also used in display technology. Neodymium, praseodymium and samarium are preferred for permanent magnets and are found in dictation devices or headphones. Neodymium, terbium and dysprosium are used in laser applications.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Rare earth elements play a major role in electric motors and batteries and are therefore essential for electric mobility. Praseodymium and neodymium are used in electric motors, while lanthanum is already used in nickel-metal hydride batteries for electric or hybrid cars. Rare earth element applications also extend to everyday products: lighter flints, for example, contain cerium as their main component. Cerium oxide is also used in self-cleaning ovens.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4392\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4392\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4392 size-full\" title=\"Neodymium Forms a Pink-Violet Oxide Layer in Air, Which Can Flake Off Easily\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Neodym.jpg\" alt=\"Neodymium \u2013 one of the rare earth elements\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Neodym.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Neodym-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Neodym-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4392\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Neodymium forms a pink-violet oxide layer in air, which can flake off easily | \u00a9 Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements \u2013 commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Because rare earth elements are used in such a wide range of applications, demand for them continues to increase. Since deposits are highly limited, these elements also play an important economic role. Rare earth recycling from electronic waste is one way to use these metals in an economically and ecologically viable manner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The group known as \u201crare earth elements\u201d has always seemed somewhat enigmatic. This is certainly due to its name, but also to the fact that these elements occupy a special position in the periodic table of chemical elements. Most chemists are highly familiar with the periodic table, yet rare earth elements can still cause a &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":12075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3028,3029],"tags":[4075,4073,4071,4072,4074,4069,4070,4076],"class_list":["post-16395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-alle-beitraege-en","category-werkstoffe-in-der-chemie-en","tag-lanthanides","tag-lanthanoids","tag-lanthanum","tag-lutetium","tag-promethium","tag-rare-earth-elements","tag-rare-earth-metals","tag-thulium-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are Rare Earth Elements? - Reichelt Chemietechnik Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rare earth elements explained \u2013 natural occurrence \u2714 environmental impact \u2714 extraction \u2714 applications \u2714 position in the periodic table | RCT Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rct-online.de\/magazin\/en\/rare-earth-elements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are Rare Earth Elements? 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