Human civilization has been using
metals since prehistoric times. Right from making items for general sustenance
to making arms for warfare, metals have been used extensively. With
modernization, metals were used for wide varieties of purposes. All metals are
not the same; while some are abundantly found, some of them are quite rare. And
for obvious reasons, the rarely found metals are expensive when compared to
general metals. Most kinds of metals have to be mined from underground and then
processed to be used in industries or for general purposes.
Enlisted below are some rare earth
metals, which are used in various things:
· Praseodymium – This rare earth metal is works as
an alloying agent with magnesium for creating aircraft engines. High-strength metals are needed for the same and praseodymium is a preferred choice. It is
also used for making glass for welders’ goggles and used in fiber-optic cables
as signal amplifier.
· Europium
– This is considered as the most
reactive of métaux rares. The metal has
been used since a long time as red phosphor in TV sets. The metal is also used
extensively in fluorescent lamps, computer monitors and various kinds of
lasers. Because of its cost, the metal does not have high commercial usage.
· Lutetium - Métaux critiques regarding lutetium has provided
information that use of lutetium is restricted for rare and specialty uses. Two
common areas in which the metal is used is for making calculations for age of
meteorites and secondly for carrying out PET (positron emission tomography)
scans. This rare metal is also used in oil refineries as a catalyst as it helps
in ‘cracking’ petroleum products.
· Thulium
– This is one of the rarest métaux rares found on earth.
Commercial applications of this metal are few, though it finds its place in
some surgical lasers. Along with this, this rarest of the rare earth metal is
also used in portable x-ray technology and in nuclear reactors.
Interestingly, the list does not end
here. There are many more rare metals that are found on earth. Since they are
not readily available, they are mined and used with great care.
