What are the 17 rare earth metals and why are they important for future technology?

advanced materials.quantum computingrenewable energyadvanced medical equipmentelectric vehicleswind turbinessmartphonesLutetium (Lu)Ytterbium (Yb)Thulium (Tm)Erbium (Er)Holmium (Ho)Dysprosium (Dy)Terbium (Tb)Gadolinium (Gd)Europium (Eu)Samarium (Sm)Promethium (Pm)Neodymium (Nd)Praseodymium (Pr)Cerium (Ce)Lanthanum (La)Yttrium (Y)Scandium (Sc)rare earth elementsextraction of rare earth elementsminingRare earth metals
Written By Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Rare earth metals are a group of 17 chemical elements that exhibit unique magnetic, catalytic, and optical properties.

 

The 17 chemical elements that make up the rare earth metals (also known as rare earth elements) are:

 

1.     Scandium (Sc)

2.     Yttrium (Y)

3.     Lanthanum (La)

4.     Cerium (Ce)

5.     Praseodymium (Pr)

6.     Neodymium (Nd)

7.     Promethium (Pm)

8.     Samarium (Sm)

9.     Europium (Eu)

10.  Gadolinium (Gd)

11.  Terbium (Tb)

12.  Dysprosium (Dy)

13.  Holmium (Ho)

14.  Erbium (Er)

15.  Thulium (Tm)

16.  Ytterbium (Yb)

17.  Lutetium (Lu)

Found in the Lanthanides section of the periodic table (but also include Scandium and Yttrium), they are important for future technology because they are essential components in a wide range of high-tech products, including smartphones, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and advanced medical equipment.

Rare earth metals enable these devices to be smaller, faster, and more efficient, and they are also crucial for the development of emerging technologies like renewable energy, quantum computing, and advanced materials.

However, their extraction and refining process can be environmentally damaging, and there are concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities due to their uneven distribution around the world.

Chris Shirley MA FRGS

About the Author:

Chris is the founder of Hiatus.Design, a mission-driven branding and website design company that works with clients all over the world.

Over the course of his life, he has travelled to more than 60 countries across six continents, earned two Guinness World Records, completed the legendary Marathon des Sables, summited Mont Blanc and unclimbed peaks in Asia, become a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), rowed across the Atlantic Ocean and obtained a Masterʼs degree in Business Management (MA).

https://www.hiatus.design
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