Question

. There are 17 Rare Earth Elements, Pick any 5 of them, and for EACH of the 5, explain in detail why they are so critical to us.  

Include:

1. what it used for,
2. why are those things so critical?
3. Where in the world the resource is located
4. And approximately how much is left.   

ii. For EACH of the 5, explain 3 things we need to start doing today to avoid running out of that resource. It is very important that you provide thorough and complete explanations here.

.

Answer 1

RARE EARTH ELEMENT

It is the series of chemical element that mostly found on earth crust that plays a vital role in todays modern technologies such as computer and networks,communication,clean fuel etc.

There are 17 elements that are considered to be rare earth elements—

15 elements in the lanthanide series and two additional elements that share similar chemical properties. They are listed below in order of atomic number (Z):

cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y). They are often found in minerals with thorium (Th), and less commonly uranium (U).

CERIUM

Ceres, cerium is a silvery-white metal that easily oxidizes in the air. It is the most abundant of the rare earth elements and has many uses. For instance, cerium oxide is used as a catalyst in catalytic converters in automotive exhaust systems to reduce emissions, and is highly desirable for precision glass polishing. Cerium can also be used in iron, magnesium and aluminum alloys, magnets, certain types of electrodes, and carbon-arc lighting.

world origin:

Large deposits of cerium have been found in India, Brazil and in Southern California.

It dissolves in acids. It can burn when heated or scratched with a knife.

used for:

Cerium is used in aluminium and iron alloys, in stainless steel as a precipitation hardening agent, to make permanent magnets

ERBIUM

Naturally occurring erbium is a mixture of six stable isotopes.

Unlike some other rare earth metals, erbium metal is fairly stable in air and does not oxidize as rapidly as some of the other rare-earth metals.

world origin:

China and US..

Uses of erbium

Erbium is finding uses in nuclear and metallurgical applications. When added to vanadium, erbium lowers the hardness and improves pliability of the metal.

TERBIUM

Properties of terbium

Terbium is a member of the lanthanide or rare earth group of elements.The oxide is a dark maroon or chocolate color, and 21 isotopes with atomic masses ranging from 145 to 165 are recognized. The oxide form is chocolate or dark maroon.

Uses of terbium

While there are not many commercial uses for terbium, sodium terbium borate is used in solid-state devices. When combined with zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), it can act as a crystal stabilizer of elevated-temperature fuel cells.

world origin:

sweden

THULIUM

Word origin:

Thulium is named for Thule, the earliest name for Scandinavia.

Uses of thulium

Because of the relatively high price of the metal, thulium has not yet found many practical applications, but it has potential use as an energy source. Natural thulium also has possible use ceramic magnetic materials used in microwave equipment, and can be used for doping fiber lasers.

Properties of thulium

The soft and malleable silver-gray element can be cut with a knife. The element has 25 known isotopes, with atomic masses ranging from 152 to 176. Natural thulium is stable.

HOLMIUM

Word origin:

Holmium is derived from the Latin word Holmia, meaning Stockholm.

Properties of holmium

holmium has a metallic silver sheen and is fairly soft and malleable. While it is stable in dry air at room temperature it rapidly oxidizes in moist air and at elevated temperatures.

Uses of holmium

There are no commercial uses for holmium, but its magnetic properties could hold promise for future applications.

THINGS TO BE DONE FOR CONSERVATION ARE:

• avoid wastage.
• avoide over exploitation of resources.
• sustainable development.