Rare earths – ain’t that rare

(Image: Getty)

Sat, 25 Oct 2025

What are they? Rare earths are chemical elements with unique magnetic and luminescent properties. To be specific, they are a collection of 17 elements with the atomic numbers from 57 to 71 (15 lanthanides) + cadmium and yttrium. They mainly reside at the bottom of the periodic table.The blues and the turquoise ones are where it’s at.The Periodic TableFor those already having flashbacks to fifth-form chemistry, here is a quick reminder of how a periodic table works. Rows (Periods) = Energy Levels, Columns (Groups)...

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