Lanthanides
Type a name, a symbol, an atomic number — or something vague like radioactive, liquid or d-block.
15 elements match
La
Lanthanum
The first lanthanide and the element that hid inside cerium for 36 years before anyone noticed.
Ce
Cerium
The most abundant rare earth, more common in the crust than copper.
Pr
Praseodymium
A rare earth that colours welder's goggles and, alloyed with neodymium, makes formidable magnets.
Nd
Neodymium
The magnet element: neodymium-iron-boron magnets are the strongest permanent magnets ever made.
Pm
Promethium
The only lanthanide with no stable isotope — it decayed away and had to be made in a reactor.
Sm
Samarium
A rare earth whose magnets keep working at temperatures that destroy neodymium.
Eu
Europium
The security element: europium phosphors are the anti-counterfeiting glow in euro banknotes.
Gd
Gadolinium
The rare earth with the greatest neutron capture cross-section of any stable nuclide.
Tb
Terbium
A green-phosphor rare earth that also changes shape in a magnetic field.
Dy
Dysprosium
"Hard to get at", and now indispensable for magnets that must survive engine-bay heat.
Ho
Holmium
The element with the strongest magnetic moment of any naturally occurring atom.
Er
Erbium
The rare earth that keeps the internet running: erbium amplifies light inside fibre-optic cable.
Tm
Thulium
The rarest of the stable lanthanides, and a portable X-ray source when irradiated.
Yb
Ytterbium
A soft rare earth whose electrical resistance jumps under pressure, making it a stress gauge.
Lu
Lutetium
The hardest, densest and most expensive of the lanthanides.
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What this understands
Identity
Names, symbols and atomic numbers, in any case. au, Gold and 79 all land on the same page.
Families & blocks
noble gas, halogen, lanthanide, d-block, period 4, group 17.
Properties
radioactive, synthetic, liquid, gas, precious — and any text from an electron configuration.