Language
Country/Area
No result found
The Mystery of Rare Earth Elements: Why Are They Called 'Rare'?
In the scientific community, the term Rare Earth Elements (REE) is often confusing because these elements are not really "rare." These 17 almost indistinguishable metals are widely used in electronics, laser materials, glass and industrial applications, but are dubbed "rare" because of the technical difficulties in mining and extraction. How is this caused?
Rare earth elements and metals mainly include barium, cerium, neodymium, nickel, cathode II and other elements. The chemical properties of these elements are similar, so separation is difficult.
According to existing geological data, rare earth elements such as cerium are the 25th most abundant element in the earth's crust, with approximately 68 grams per million grams. They are actually more common than copper. This fact does not make their extraction easy, because although they are relatively abundant, they are often mixed with other minerals and difficult to separate. Furthermore, these elements do not occur in high concentrations in nature, making their economic extraction significantly more difficult.
Rare earth elements were first discovered in 1787, when the scientist Carl Axel Arrhenius found the black mineral quartzite containing rare earth elements in a mine in Sweden (later known as called Godao stone). Since then, many scientific research related to rare earth elements have begun.
“The names of rare earth elements are derived from multiple locations or scientists who discovered them, showing the close connection these elements have with geography and history.”
Despite this rich historical background, the discovery of rare earth elements progressed slowly in the following decades, especially when chemical separation technology was not yet mature. It was not until the 1940s that American scientists developed new chemical separation technologies during the Manhattan Project that they began to effectively separate and purify rare earth elements.
With the sudden increase in industrial demand, especially in high-tech fields, the use of rare earth elements has become increasingly widespread. High-tech products such as electric vehicles, permanent magnet materials, and optical fiber communications have all become more efficient because of their existence. But this also brings great demand for resource extraction. Today, although China controls most of the world's rare earth supply, through the application of high technology, scientists around the world are exploring rare earth resources in other regions.
“Demand for rare earth elements is not only forcing the scientific community to study their extraction, it is also forcing us to rethink our technological needs and environmental impacts.”
In the process of mining rare earth elements, environmental issues obviously cannot be ignored. Rare earth elements often coexist with other minerals and can damage ecosystems during mining. Moreover, the industrial use of rare earth metals has also raised concerns about their safety and environmental issues. The scientific community is working hard to find more sustainable methods of extraction and utilization to ensure that the use of these precious metals does not place an excessive burden on the environment.
From a broader perspective, the stories behind these rare metals are not only about science and industry, but also involve the subtle relationship between economy, environmental protection and international politics. Whether these metals can be mined effectively and environmentally will profoundly affect future scientific development and the continued progress of human technology. So, when we rely on these seemingly ubiquitous rare earth elements, should we also think about our impact and responsibility on the environment?
