US reserves of rare earth elements assessed for first time
“Rare earth” is an alternative name for the lanthanides – elements 57 to 71 – plus yttrium and scandium. The elements are integral to modern life, and are used in everything from disc drives, hybrid cars and sunglasses to lasers and aircraft used by the military.
China controls 97 per cent of the world’s supply and has been tightening its export quotas, sparking concerns that the rare earths could live up to their name.
Is it Neodymium appreciation month? There’s been several threads on the lanthanoids and now a blog. We should make praseodymium t-shirts, that would be the first time anyone talked about Pr since it was discovered.