We supply the following materials of this group:

• Cerium
• Erbium
• Gadolinium
• Lanthanum
• Neodymium
• Scandium
• Yttrium

Rare-earth metals are metals ranked among the third group of the periodic system and the lanthanoide series. Due to the underlying chemical systematics they exhibit similar chemical and physical properties to such an extent that they occur together in natural minerals and can only be separated from each other with considerable difficulty. Exposed to air, rare-earth metals normally undergo fast oxidation and in water solution, forming the respective hydroxide.

Rare-earth metals are applied in the chemical industry, in the electronic industry, in radiation protection technology or as additives to alloys used in the metal industry.

Cerum, for example, is used as getter metal to generate a strong vacuum, as ingredient in fire stones, and in incandescent objects. Lanthanum, for example, is applied in the production of optical glasses (e.g. camera lenses), of electrodes in fuel cells, and for magnetohydrodynamic generators. Neodymium is employed by the glass industry and used, for instance, as an ingredient of magnesium alloys for aircraft construction. Yttrium can be applied in the making of artificial gamets for laser technology. In addition, many rare earth metals are ingredients in materials used for permanent magnets or are applied as catalysts.