Rare Earth Magnet Basics / Glossary of Magnet Terms / Rare earth elements
- Rare earth elements
- The general name for seventeen elements, the fifteen elements from lanthanum (atomic number 57) to lutetium (atomic number 71) and scandium (atomic number 21) and yttrium (atomic number 39). The rare earth elements have similar outer electron shell structures and ion radii, so they have similar chemical characteristics. They were first discovered in relatively rare minerals, so they are called the rare earth elements, but looking at the Earth's crust as a whole, the actual amount present is not that small. There is more cerium than copper and more yttrium, lanthanum, and neodymium than cobalt. They are contained in the carbonate mineral bastnaesite, the phosphate minerals xenotime and monazite, ion absorbing minerals, and other mineral ores, but currently, the majority of these minerals are produced in China. Rare earth elements are widely used in fluorescent bodies and media, magnetic materials, fine ceramics, semi-conductors, etc. and can be considered precious functional elements supporting contemporary civilization.
