Rare earth elements (REE) or Rare earth metals (REM)

By Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya

Class: Non-Ferrous Metals
Group: Rare Metals
Subgroup: Rare Earth Metals

REE is the common name of 17 chemical elements: scandium (Sc),

yttrium (Y) and the 15 elements of the lanthanide group: lanthanum (La),
cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm),
samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosim
(Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), luterium
(Lu).
Rare earth elements (REE) or rare earth metal (REM) REE is the common
name of 17 chemical elements: Sc, Y and the 15 elements of the
lanthanide group (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm).

REE are divided into two groups:

Light rare earth elements (LREE), also known as the cerium group: Sc,
La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd.
Light Rare Earth Metals have a density in the range 5,5-8,0 g/m3. Scandium is the exception.
Scandium has a density of 2,99 g/m3.

Heavy rare earth elements (HREE), also known as the yttrium group: Y,
Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu.
Heavy Rare Earth metals have a density of 8,0-10,0 g/m3. Yttrium and ytterbium are
exceptions. Yttrium has a density of 4.47 g/m3.

These metals have common properties:

Silvery white color. Pr, Nd have a yellow tint.

 Magnetic properties
In nature it exists only in the form of oxides (rare-earth oxides REO)).
The general formula R2O3.
Isomorphism
Ductile and easily machined
REE react with water (by heating - rapidly), hydrochloric, sulfuric and
nitric acids.

Rare-earth elements, which are most in demand:

Scandium
Europium
Terbium
Dysprosium
Neodymium
Cerium
Lanthanum

 Yttrium
In the world there is a shortage of these REE: Y, Dy, Nd, Eu, Tb. The
increase in production volumes La, Ce leads to lower prices for these
metals.

The role of the rare earth metals in the developed economies is growing.
Especially needed a The role of the rare earth metals in the developed
economies is heavy rare earth elements (HREE). The main consumers of
rare earth elements are China, Japan, US, EU.

The main suppliers of rare earth elements in the United States in 20002005 they were: China, France, Japan and Estonia.

Collectively, the rare earth elements contribute to vital technologies we rely

on today for safety, health and comfort. All of the rare earth elements
contribute to the advancement of modern technologies and to promising
discoveries yet to come.
References
1. Web Resource CONCENTRATION OF MINERALS
https://sites.google.com/site/concentrationofminerals/home

Ph.D. Natalia Petrovskaya, 2016

nataliapetrovsky@gmail.com