Physicists have filled in some longtime blank spaces on the periodic table, calculating electron affinities of the lanthanides, a series of 15 elements known as rare earths. Physicists at Michigan ...

Conceptual art shows the rare earth element promethium in a vial surrounded by an organic ligand. ORNL scientists have discovered hidden features of promethium, opening a pathway for research into ...

Bruce Ravel is shown at the Beamline for Materials Measurement. Despite its rarity, promethium has a few interesting applications, including manufacturing specialized glow-in-the-dark paint, radiation ...

An illustration shows a variety of bacterial shapes in a petri dish consuming various lanthanide metals. Credit: Yang H. Ku/C&EN/Shutterstock You can smell the Solfatara volcanic crater long before ...

Researchers wanted to find out if it was possible to make a molecule that could selectively bind to metal cations in the middle of the lanthanide series. The team provided a proof-of-principle in a ...