Top 11 Rarest Elements On Earth Today
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| Top 11 Rarest Elements On Earth Today. Photo KnowInsiders |
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Rare elements on earth play an important role in today's life. They can be applied in scientific research to produce chemicals or other important substances. Learning functions and characteristics of rare elements wil help us have insights about science.
What are rare earth elements (REEs)?
Rare earth elements are a group of metals that are critical ingredients for a greener economy, and the location of the reserves for mining are increasingly important and valuable.
Most rare earth elements find their uses as catalysts and magnets in traditional and low-carbon technologies. Other important uses of rare earth elements are in the production of special metal alloys, glass, and high-performance electronics.
| Canada has some of the largest known reserves and resources (measured and indicated) of rare earths in the world, estimated at over 14 million tonnes of rare earth oxides in 2021 Manufacturing permanent magnets is the largest global use for REEs, accounting for 29% of total forecasted demand. China is the world’s largest producer with an estimated 140,000 tonnes of REEs in 2020, accounting for almost 60% of global production. Many countries, including Canada, have rare earths resources but producing REEs requires complex separation and refining processes. |
How are rare earth elements used?
REEs are used in a variety of industrial applications, including electronics, clean energy, aerospace, automotive and defence.
Manufacturing permanent magnets is the single largest and most important end use for REEs, accounting for 29% of the forecasted demand in 2020.
Permanent magnets are an essential component of modern electronics used in cell phones, televisions, computers, automobiles, wind turbines, jet aircraft and many other products.
REEs are also used widely in high technology and “green” products because of their luminescent and catalytic properties.
REES are usedIn lights, screens, and glass: "Specific REEs are used individually or in combination to make phosphors—substances that emit luminescence—for many types of ray tubes and flat panel displays, in screens that range in size from smart phone displays to stadium scoreboards. Some REEs are used in fluorescent and LED lighting. Yttrium, europium, and terbium phosphors are the red-green-blue phosphors used in many light bulbs, panels, and televisions. The glass industry is the largest consumer of REE raw materials, using them for glass polishing and as additives that provide color and special optical properties. Lanthanum makes up as much as 50 percent of digital camera lenses, including cell phone cameras." As catalysts: "Lanthanum-based catalysts are used to refine petroleum. Cerium-based catalysts are used in automotive catalytic converters" In magnets: "Magnets that employ REEs are rapidly growing in application. Neodymium-iron-boron magnets are the strongest magnets known, useful when space and weight are limiting factors. Rare-earth magnets are used in computer hard disks and CD–ROM and DVD disk drives. The spindle of a disk drive attains high stability in its spinning motion when driven by a rare-earth magnet. These magnets are also used in a variety of conventional automotive subsystems, such as power steering, electric windows, power seats, and audio speakers." In batteries: "Nickel-metal hydride batteries are built with lanthanum-based alloys as anodes. These battery types, when used in hybrid electric cars, contain significant amounts of lanthanum, requiring as much as 10 to 15 kilograms per electric vehicle." In steel alloys: "Cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, and praseodymium, commonly in the form of a mixed oxide known as mischmetal, are used in steel making to remove impurities and in the production of special alloys." |
Top 11 Rarest Elements On Earth Today
1. Astatine
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| Photo Thermo Fisher |
Abundance: less than 1 gram present in Earth’s crust at any given time; only 0.05 micrograms have ever been produced
Atomic Number: 85
Atomic Weight: 210 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Metalloid
Common Uses: Currently being researched for use in nuclear medicine; has potential for targeted alpha-particle therapy.
Astatine is the rarest element on Earth; only approximately 25 grams occur naturally on the planet at any given time. Its existence was predicted in the 1800s, but was finally discovered about 70 years later. Decades after its discovery, very little is known about astatine. Indeed, physicists infer many of its properties — such as its radioactive properties, conduction and color — based on other halogen group members.
2. Oganesson
Abundance: few milligrams produced as byproduct in nuclear reactors; just over 1 gram ever produced in the United States since it was first discovered
Atomic Number: 118
Atomic Weight: 294 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Unknown chemical properties; possibly a metallic-looking reactive solid
Common Uses: No practical uses outside of scientific research
Oganesson is a radioactive, artificially produced element about which little is known. It is expected to be a gas and is classified as a non-metal. It is a member of the noble gas group.
The element, No. 118 on the Periodic Table of Elements, had previously been designated ununoctium, a placeholder name that means one-one-eight in Latin. In November 2016, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approved the name oganesson for element 118.
| The name oganesson honors Yuri Oganessian "for his pioneering contributions to transactinide elements research," IUPAC officials said, referring to elements with atomic numbers 104 through 120. "His many achievements include the discovery of super-heavy elements and significant advances in the nuclear physics of super-heavy nuclei, including experimental evidence for the 'island of stability,'" an idea suggesting that super-heavy elements can become stable at some point in their existence. |
3. Berkelium
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| Photo livescience |
Abundance: few milligrams produced as byproduct in nuclear reactors; just over 1 gram ever produced in the United States since it was first discovered
Atomic Number: 97
Atomic Weight: 247 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: No practical uses outside of scientific research
Researchers have found that among the heavy metal elements, berkelium has an unusual characteristic that could potentially be used to distinguish it from other radioactive actinides. Using several spectroscopic techniques, scientists at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) found that the element berkelium breaks form with its heavy element peers by taking on an extra positive charge when bound to a synthetic organic molecule. This property could help scientists develop better methods for handling and purifying nuclear materials.
4. Francium
Abundance: between 20 to 30 grams at any given time found in Earth’s crust; a few hundred thousand atoms have been produced
Atomic Number: 87
Atomic Weight: 223 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Alkali metal
Common Uses: No practical uses outside of scientific research in the fields of chemistry and of atomic structure.
Francium's characteristics:
- Francium is the least found metal on the planet earth and is rarely found in nature. It is considered to be the second rarest metal discovered on the earth’s crust next to the Astatine.
- Francium is an element with the chemical symbol Fr and atomic number 87 in the periodic table. It is produced both naturally and by artificial methods.
- Most probably, it is assumed that about 340-550 grams of this metal francium are found in the earth’s crust. Francium has a half-life of only 22 minutes.
- Francium occurs on the decay of the alpha particles, which are found in the minerals of uranium. Francium is obtained by the neutron bombardment of radium in a nuclear reactor. It can also be made by bombarding thorium with protons.
- This metal has about 34 isotopes that are said to be occurring in nature. Francium has only 1 valence electron.
| Since francium is produced in tiny quantities in nature, it does show any much commercial applications. Francium has been used in the field of research, chemistry and also in the atomic structure. It is used for diagnostics for curing cancers. It is also used in many spectroscopic experiments. Francium is a highly radioactive metal, and since it exhibits a short half-life, it does not have more impact on the environment. |
5. Protactinium
Abundance: few parts per trillion (0.1 part per trillion) in Earth’s crust; able to produce 125 grams at one time
Atomic Number: 91
Atomic Weight: 231.03588(1)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: No practical uses outside of scientific research
Protactinium's characteristics:
- Protactinium is a radioactive element which belongs to the actinide series. It is dense and has a silver-grey appearance.
- The atomic mass of protactinium is 231.03.
- The melting point of protactinium is 1600°C.
- The boiling point of protactinium is unknown.
- The density of protactinium is 15370 in S.I. units at 20°C.
- Protactinium crystallizes in body-centered tetragonal structure.
- The properties of protactinium are intermediate of thorium and uranium.
- Protactinium is paramagnetic in nature.
Health Effects on Exposure
Inhalation or Ingestion: Protactinium poses serious problem when it enters the body. The major problem which it can cause is cancer. The movement of protactinium within the body is capable of upsetting almost all organs.
Effects on Surroundings
Protactinium is not a major concern for environment.
6. Promethium
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| Photo wikicommons |
Abundance: only about 500 to 600 grams in Earth’s crust at any given time
Atomic Number: 61
Atomic Weight: 145 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Lanthanide
Common Uses: Mostly just used for scientific research, but Promethium-147 used in luminous paint, atomic batteries, and thickness measurement devices.
Named for the Greek Titan who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity, glow-in-the-dark promethium is a highly radioactive, rare earth element. It is not found anywhere on Earth and is found in the byproducts of uranium fission reactions. Due to its rarity, its primary purpose is for research; it has possibilities for use in a variety of medical devices, batteries, and in luminescent paint.
| Density: 4.17 ounces per cubic inch (7.22 grams per cubic cm) Phase at room temperature: solid Melting point: 2,088 degrees Fahrenheit (1,142 degrees Celsius) Boiling point: 5,972 F (3,300 C) Number of natural isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): at least 38 radioactive isotopes Most common isotopes: Pm-145 (negligible percent of natural abundance), Pm-147 (negligible percent of natural abundance) |
7. Californium
Abundance: about 500 milligrams produced annually
Atomic Number: 98
Atomic Weight: 251 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: Used to help start up nuclear reactors; used in nuclear synthesis of higher mass elements; used in neutron moisture gauges; used as a neutron source to identify gold and silver ores through a technique known as neutron activation; neutrons used as a treatment of certain cervical and brain cancers; and many more practical uses
Californium is a synthetic, radioactive element not found in nature. It is an actinide: one of 15 radioactive, metallic elements found at the bottom of the periodic table. The pure metal is silvery-white, malleable and so soft it can be easily sliced with a razor blade. Californium is moderately chemically reactive. It slowly tarnishes in air at room temperature — small pieces or foils of the metal begin to oxidize, but not violently.
| Density: Unknown Phase at room temperature: Solid Melting point: 1,652 F (900 C) Boiling point: Unknown Number of isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 20 isotopes whose half-lives are known with mass numbers 237 to 256. Most common isotopes: No naturally occurring isotopes |
8. Neptunium
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| Photo science photo library |
Abundance: only trace amounts found in the Earth’s crust; about 60,000 kilograms produced as a byproduct of nuclear power plants each year
Atomic Number: 93
Atomic Weight: 237 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: Precursor in Plutonium production; used in devices for detecting high-energy (MeV) neutrons; radioisotope thermal generators to provide electricity for spacecraft
Neptunium was named for the planet Neptune because it is the next outer-most planet beyond the planet Uranus in the solar system and this element is the next one beyond uranium in the periodic table.
Neptunium was discovered by Edwin McMillan and Philip Abelson in the USA in 1940. Scientists have now found about 18 isotopes of neptunium. They are all radioactive. Neptunium was once a very rare element, but it can now be somewhat easily produced in a nuclear reactor. A nuclear reactor is a device in which nuclear fission reactions occur. Nuclear fission is the process of splitting atoms when neutrons collide with atoms of uranium or plutonium. These collisions produce new elements. Neptunium is used commercially only in specialized detection devices.
9. Americium
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| Photo wikicommons |
Abundance: possible trace amounts found in the Earth’s crust, but has never been confirmed; several kilograms produced each year
Atomic Number: 95
Atomic Weight: 243 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: Used in commercial ionization chamber smoke detectors; neutron sources; industrial gauges; starting material for the production of other transuranic elements and transactinides
According to Lenntech, americium most likely occurs naturally in incredibly trace amounts in uranium minerals due to nuclear reactions. Past concentrations of americium may have been higher when local concentrations of uranium were higher and produced more nuclear reactions.
Americium is primarily produced in nuclear reactors via the bombardment of plutonium with neutrons, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
| Density: 7.91 ounces per cubic inch (13.69 grams per cubic cm) Phase at room temperature: solid Melting point: 2,149 degrees Fahrenheit (1,176 degrees Celsius) Boiling point: 3,652 F (2,011 C) Number of natural isotopes (atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons): 0. There are at least 19 radioactive isotopes created in a lab. Most common isotopes: Am-241 (negligible percent of natural abundance), Am-243 (negligible percent of natural abundance) |
10. Curium
Abundance: Unknown if any trace amounts exist naturally; several kilograms produced each year
Atomic Number: 96
Atomic Weight: 247 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Actinide
Common Uses: used to produce heavier actinides; used in radionuclide for power sources in artificial pacemakers; used in alpha particle X-ray spectrometers
Named after Pierre and Marie Curie. Curium is a hard, brittle, silvery metal that tarnishes slowly in dry air at room temperature. Curium does not occur naturally; it is typically produced artificially in nuclear reactors through successive neutron captures by plutonium and americium isotopes.
Curium is very radioactive, more electropositive than Aluminum, chenically reactive. A few compounds of curium are known, as the fluorides.
Although curium follows americium in the periodic system, it was actually known before americium and was the third transuranium element to be discovered. It was identified by Glenn Seaborg, James, and Albert Ghiorso in 1944 at the wartime Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago as a result of helium-ion bombardment of 239Pu in the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory's 60-inch cyclotron. Visible amounts (30Mg) of 242Cm, in the form of the hydroxide, were first isolated by Werner and Perlman of the University of California, Berkeley in 1947. In 1950, Crane, Wallmann, and Cunningham found that the magnetic susceptibility of microgram samples of CmF3 was of the same magnitude as that of GdF3. This provided direct experimental evidence for assigning an electronic configuration to Cm+3. In 1951, the same workers prepared curium in its elemental form for the first time.
| The longest-lived isotope of Curium, Curium-247, has a very long half-life of 15.6 million years, which means that any primordial Curium present on the Earth during its formation, would have already decayed. Trace amounts of Curium have been found in certain areas used for the atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. |
11. Tellurium
Abundance: present in the Earth's crust only in about 0.001 parts per million
Atomic Number: 52
Atomic Weight: 127.6 (most stable isotope)
Element Category: Metalloid
Common Uses: used to vulcanise rubber, to tint glass and ceramics, in solar cells, in rewritable CDs and DVDs and as a catalyst in oil refining. It can be doped with silver, gold, copper or tin in semiconductor applications.
Tellurium is a scarce element with metallurgical applications as an additive to stainless steel, and as an ingredient in alloys made with copper, lead, and iron. The U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet, Tellurium —The Bright Future of Solar Energy explains that tellurium’s primary use is for manufacturing films essential to thin film photovoltaic solar cells. When alloyed with other elements such as cadmium, tellurium forms a compound that exhibits enhanced electrical conductivity. A thin film can efficiently absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.
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