Recently, "rare earth" resources have been frequently mentioned in relevant international hot topics. This is indeed an important resource. It is not far away from us in life. When you turn on your phone, the europium element in the screen backlight is emitting soft red light; when you travel in a new energy vehicle, the neodymium iron boron magnets in the motor are converting electrical energy into kinetic energy; when you are shopping online during your lunch break, the core of the optical fiber that protects the accurate transmission of data is doped with erbium element - these are rare earths.
SoWhat exactly are rare earths? How important is it?Let’s talk today.
What are rare earths? What's the use?
In the periodic table of elements, there are 17 special members. The 15 elements of the lanthanide series from lanthanum to lutetium, plus the two "non-staff members" of scandium and yttrium, are collectively called rare earths.
Here comes the little challenge!
Can you pronounce the names of the following members of the rare earth family correctly? (The answer is at the end of the article)
Lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium
From a chemical perspective, why can these 17 elements be classified into the same family and have such similar chemical properties?
The secret lies in theirouter electron configuration. The chemical properties of elements are mainly determined by the configuration of the outer electrons. In the rare earth elements from lanthanum to lutetium in the periodic table, as the atomic number increases, new electrons will fill the 4f and 5d inner orbits. However, the outer 6s orbital always maintains 2 electrons.
This highly similar electronic arrangement enables them to have similar ionic radii and similar chemical bonding properties. Friends who don’t know much about chemistry majors can imagine them as twin brothers with very similar personalities and always like to hang out together.
In nature, rare earths often appear in the form of oxides with a gray appearance, which is why they are misunderstood as "earth". But in fact, they have the reputation of "industrial vitamins" and have an extremely wide range of applications.
From high-end military equipment to common civilian electronic products, rare earth elements are everywhere, playing a key role in improving display effects and enhancing performance, injecting strong impetus into the development of modern industry.
Where exactly are rare earths "rare"?
The word "rare" in rare earth may give you the impression that rare earth is a rare thing, but this is not the case.Our country can be called a "rich" in terms of rare earth resource reserves. In the distribution of global rare earth reserves, our country has a sole share of 36.7%.The Bayan Obo mine in Inner Mongolia is the "big brother" in the field of light rare earths. It has extremely rich reserves of light rare earths such as lanthanum and cerium. In the south, ionic mines in Jiangxi, Guangdong and other places are dominated by medium and heavy rare earths such as terbium and dysprosium. Medium and heavy rare earths play an irreplaceable role in some high-end cutting-edge technology fields. The ion-type minerals in these areas provide key resource support for the development of high-end industries in my country and even the world.
What is the difference between light rare earths and heavy rare earths? Light rare earth elements have low atomic numbers and relatively small masses, including lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm) and europium (Eu), a total of 7 secondary elements.
Heavy rare earth elements have higher atomic numbers and larger atomic weights, including gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y), a total of 10 elements. Although the atomic weight of yttrium is only 89, its chemical properties are closer to those of heavy rare earth elements because its ion radius is within the ion radius chain of other heavy rare earth elements. It also coexists with other heavy rare earth elements in nature, so it is classified as a heavy rare earth group.
Since rare earth reserves are not small, why are they so "rare"? The reason isProperties of rare earth elements.
As mentioned earlier, rare earth elements are like twins, with chemical properties so similar that even mothers can’t tell them apart, which makes their extraction and purification extremely difficult. The traditional separation method is so inefficient that it often requires hundreds of repeated operations to achieve the separation effect. This difficult refining process makes rare earths particularly valuable in practical applications, giving them the label of "rare".
The extraction technology proposed by Academician Xu Guangxian
helpChina’s rare earths become trump card
As we all know, China currently ranks first in the world in rare earth production, and this position is hard-won. In the 1980s, although my country had abundant rare earth resources, due to the lack of efficient purification technology, it could only export mixed rare earths at low prices, and then import high-purity rare earth products purified from abroad at high prices.The cascade extraction technology proposed by Academician Xu Guangxian has completely changed this pattern.
Taking praseodymium and neodymium separation as an example, using cascade extraction technology, the purity can reach 99.99%, and the cost is reduced by 75%. Under the guidance of cascade extraction technology, China's rare earth industry has achieved a qualitative leap and has a stronger voice on the international stage, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent vigorous development of my country's rare earth industry. Such a huge contribution also earned Academician Xu Guangxian the 2008 "National Highest Science and Technology Award."
It is precisely because of this confidence that rare earths have become a key "resource trump card" in my country's hands amidst the changes in the Sino-US trade war. Because the manufacturing of many high-tech military equipment such as missile guidance, stealth fighters, and lasers is inseparable from rare earth elements. The United States' own rare earth mines have long been facing mining difficulties, and they are anxious to find replacements all over the world.
Of course, although other countries also have certain rare earth reserves, they are far behind in supporting mining and refining technology. This makes it difficult for the United States to meet its huge demand for rare earths even if it seeks alternatives everywhere.
This has caused the United States to feel unprecedented pressure in the development of high-tech industries and military equipment, and also allowed the world to see the important strategic position of China's rare earth resources.
New rules are coming! Rare earth industry begins high-quality development
At the end of 2024, the country introduced new regulations, pointing out a new direction for the development of the rare earth industry. The new regulations require less mining of rare earths. This is not to restrict the development of the rare earth industry, but to make more rational use of this precious resource. At the same time, recycling is encouraged, and the rare earth elements contained in discarded electronic products, industrial waste, etc. are re-extracted through the establishment of a complete recycling system to achieve resource recycling. In addition, it also strengthens green technology research and development to promote the development of the rare earth industry in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable direction.
This has also led to new investment opportunities. The electronic equipment we use daily, such as mobile phones, computers, and new energy vehicles, all contain rare earth elements. During the chip manufacturing process, rare earth magnetic materials can accurately control current, and neodymium and dysprosium are important elements for high-performance semiconductors. China's rare earth supply chain is independently controllable, which is equivalent to adding a "physical plug-in" to chip research and development, providing a solid backing for our country's technology industry and giving us stronger confidence in global technology competition.
Finally, let’s take a look at the 17 rare earth elements. How many of them did you read correctly?
Lanthanum (Lán), cerium (Shì), praseodymium (Pǔ), neodymium (Nǚ), promethium (Pǒ), samarium (Shān), europium (Yǒu), gadolinium (Gá), terbium ( Tè), dysprosium (Dī), holmium (Huǒ), erbium (Ěr), thulium (Diū), ytterbium (Yì), lutetium (Lǔ), scandium (Kàng), yttrium (Yǐ)
Each of these 17 elements has unique properties and important uses. Together they constitute the mysterious and powerful family of rare earths, which play an irreplaceable role in modern industry and science and technology. They witness China's solid progress from a country with rare earth resources to a country with rare earth technology.