Rare Earths And Thorium

The lanthanide elements from lanthanum (atomic number 57) to lutetium (71) plus yttrium (39) are called the rare-earth elements; scandium (21) is chemically similar to yttrium and the lanthanides, but differs in occurrence. The rare-earth metals were divided into three categories by the chemist, Berzelius, in the early 1800s; however, modern usage defines only two groups. The cerium group is named after the most abundant -element and comprises lanthanum (57), cerium (58), praseodymium (59), neodymium (60), promethium (61), samarium (62), europium (63), and gadolinium (64). Traces of natural promethium were discovered in apatite in Finland (Erametsa, 1965). The yttrium group, also named after its most abundant representative, comprises terbium (65), dysprosium (66), holmium (67), erbium (68), thulium (69), ytterbium (70), and lutetium (71). Yttrium most closely resembles holmium in chemical properties, and occurs most commonly with the heavy lanthanides. The rare-earth minerals may be divided into cerium-group, yttrium-group, or mixed-group classes. A number of rare-earth minerals contain thorium and uranium, but these are variable in content and are not essential to the composition of the minerals. In monazite, a mineral that is a principal source of rare earths, the worldwide average content of thorium oxide is 7.2 % ; however, varieties of monazite contain as little as 0.001% and as much as 31.5% thoria. Monazite is the chief ore of thorium and, until recently, thorium has been the main product; the rare-earth metals were in fact byproducts. However, because of the great demand for rare-earth metals by the petroleum refining and the iron and steel industries since the early 1970s, the roles have been reversed so that thorium is now the byproduct. Uses A 9 to 1 mixture of yttrium and thorium oxides is used for high-intensity incandescent lamps and for high-temperature-resistant windows and lenses. Yttrium oxysulfide and orthovanadate, doped with europium oxide, are used in color television tube phosphors. Yttrium, as well as cerium, praseodymium, and samarium, is alloyed with cobalt to form strong permanent magnets. It hardens magnesium alloys and retards the oxidation of iron-chromium alloys. Yttrium-iron garnets are used for transmitting low microwave frequencies. Yttrium-aluminum garnets are used as host crystals for lasers and as artificial gems. Yttria also forms strong, stable, high-temperature refractories. Gadolinium-gallium garnets are used in substrate wafers on which bubble-memory films are deposited. Rare-earth chlorides, particularly of lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium, are used as catalysts for petroleum cracking. Mischmetal is used for lighter flints and to improve the ductility and impact strength of iron and steel alloys. Mischmetal also reduces the fatigue resistance of magnesium and aluminum alloys. Rare-earth oxides are used for polishing glasses and lenses. Individual or specific combinations of high-purity oxides are used as additives in glass to maintain or change its color, dispersion, or refractive index. High-purity oxide combinations are also used to color tile and to opacify porcelain enamel. Rare-earth fluorides and oxides are used in carbon-arc electrodes to provide incandescent white light. Lanthanum or gadolinium oxysulfide phosphors, activated with terbium, are used as x-ray screen intensifiers. Hydrogen can be stored by sorption on lanthanum-nickel alloys (Anon., 1979). Thorium232 is bombarded with slow neutrons in breeder reactors to create fissionable thorium233 for nuclear fuel cells. The 330-MW, high-temperature gas-cooled reactor at Fort St.