Lanthanide facts for kids

Atomic No.	Name	Symbol	Picture
57	Lanthanum	La
58	Cerium	Ce
59	Praseodymium	Pr
60	Neodymium	Nd
61	Promethium	Pm	−
62	Samarium	Sm
63	Europium	Eu
64	Gadolinium	Gd
65	Terbium	Tb
66	Dysprosium	Dy
67	Holmium	Ho
68	Erbium	Er
69	Thulium	Tm
70	Ytterbium	Yb
71	Lutetium	Lu

A lanthanide is a special type of chemical element. There are 15 of them, and they have atomic numbers from 57 to 71. This group is also called the lanthanide series or lanthanoid series. It starts with lanthanum and ends with lutetium.

Most lanthanides are known as "f-block" elements. This means their electrons fill a specific energy level called the 4f electron shell. Lutetium is a bit different; it's a "d-block" lanthanoid. The whole series is named after lanthanum.

What Are Lanthanides Like?

Lanthanides are metals that are very similar to each other. They are all silvery-white and soft. When they are left in the air, they quickly lose their shine and become dull. This happens because they react with oxygen in the air to form a coating of oxide.

If you put most lanthanides in water, they slowly react. They turn into substances called hydroxides. This is similar to how alkali metals behave. The metals in this group also get harder as their atomic number increases.

Rare Earth Elements

Lanthanides are part of a bigger group called rare earth elements. This group also includes Scandium and Yttrium. Even though they are called "rare earth," they are not actually super rare. They are just spread out and hard to find in large amounts. This makes them tricky to mine.

How Are Lanthanides Used?

Even though they are not found in huge amounts, lanthanides are very useful! Small amounts are mined for many important jobs.

• Magnets: Some lanthanides help make very strong magnets. These are used in things like headphones and electric cars.
• Superconductors: They can be used in special materials called superconductors. These materials can carry electricity with almost no energy loss.
• Catalysts: Lanthanides act as catalysts in chemical reactions. This means they help speed up reactions without being used up themselves. They are important in making gasoline and other chemicals.
• Optical Equipment: They are also used in equipment that deals with light. This includes things like lasers, which are used in many technologies from DVD players to medical tools.

Images for kids

• 

  Lanthanide oxides: clockwise from top center: praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and gadolinium.

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  A solution of 4% holmium oxide in 10% perchloric acid, permanently fused into a quartz cuvette as a wavelength calibration standard

See also

In Spanish: Lantánidos para niños