rare element
Uncommon periodic entry
A rare element is a chemical element that occurs in limited quantities in Earth's crust.
The term most often refers to rare earth elements—a group of seventeen metallic elements used in electronics, magnets, and batteries.
Despite the name, many aren't especially scarce but are difficult to extract in pure form: China controls most rare element mining.
- lanthanumAtomic number fifty-seven
- dysprosiumLanthanide metal, atomic sixty-six
- europiumElement sixty-three
- lutetiumLanthanide element, number seventy-one
- scandiumElement twenty-one
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