ElementsWhat are the lanthanides?
The lanthanides are the fifteen elements from lanthanum to lutetium. They are usually drawn in a separate row below the main table to keep it narrow. Together with scandium and yttrium they are called rare earth elements. Most are not truly rare, but they occur mixed together and are hard to separate. They are soft, silvery metals with very similar chemistry. Their special magnetic and light-giving properties make them important for magnets, screens, lasers and green energy.
The family in numbers
Melting points in this family run from 797.9 °C (cerium) to 1,663 °C (lutetium). Among its solid members, the least dense is europium (5.24 g/cm³) and the densest is lutetium (9.84 g/cm³). The most recently discovered member is promethium (1945).
All lanthanides compared
| No. | Symbol | Name | Atomic mass | State | Melts at | Boils at | Density g/cm³ | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | La | Lanthanum | 138.9055 | Solid | 917.9 °C | 3,464 °C | 6.15 | 1839 |
| 58 | Ce | Cerium | 140.116 | Solid | 797.9 °C | 3,424 °C | 6.77 | 1803 |
| 59 | Pr | Praseodymium | 140.90766 | Solid | 930.9 °C | 3,520 °C | 6.77 | 1885 |
| 60 | Nd | Neodymium | 144.24 | Solid | 1,021 °C | 3,074 °C | 7.01 | 1885 |
| 61 | Pm | Promethium | 144.91276 | Solid | 1,042 °C | 3,000 °C | 7.26 | 1945 |
| 62 | Sm | Samarium | 150.4 | Solid | 1,074 °C | 1,794 °C | 7.52 | 1879 |
| 63 | Eu | Europium | 151.964 | Solid | 821.9 °C | 1,529 °C | 5.24 | 1901 |
| 64 | Gd | Gadolinium | 157.25 | Solid | 1,313 °C | 3,273 °C | 7.9 | 1880 |
| 65 | Tb | Terbium | 158.92535 | Solid | 1,356 °C | 3,230 °C | 8.23 | 1843 |
| 66 | Dy | Dysprosium | 162.500 | Solid | 1,412 °C | 2,567 °C | 8.55 | 1886 |
| 67 | Ho | Holmium | 164.93033 | Solid | 1,474 °C | 2,700 °C | 8.8 | 1878 |
| 68 | Er | Erbium | 167.26 | Solid | 1,529 °C | 2,868 °C | 9.07 | 1843 |
| 69 | Tm | Thulium | 168.93422 | Solid | 1,545 °C | 1,950 °C | 9.32 | 1879 |
| 70 | Yb | Ytterbium | 173.05 | Solid | 818.9 °C | 1,196 °C | 6.9 | 1878 |
| 71 | Lu | Lutetium | 174.9667 | Solid | 1,663 °C | 3,402 °C | 9.84 | 1907 |
Other families: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, post-transition metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens, noble gases, actinides.