Cerium group

A large deposit of loparite occurs ia the Kola Peninsula, Russia. The production of REO reaches 6500 t/yr. Loparite contains over 30% of rare-earth oxides from the cerium group. In addition, loparite contains up to 40% titanium oxide and up to 12% niobium and tantalum oxides. 

Scandium is very widely but thinly distributed and its only rich mineral is the rare thortveitite, Sc2Si20v (p. 348), found in Norway, but since scandium has only small-scale commercial use, and can be obtained as a byproduct in the extraction of other materials, this is not a critical problem. Yttrium and lanthanum are invariably associated with lanthanide elements, the former (Y) with the heavier or Yttrium group lanthanides in minerals such as xenotime, M "P04 and gadolinite, M M SijOio (M = Fe, Be), and the latter (La) with the lighter or cerium group lanthanides in minerals such as monazite, M P04 and bastnaesite, M C03F. This association of similar metals is a reflection of their ionic radii. While La is similar in size to the early lanthanides which immediately follow it in the periodic table, Y , because of the steady fall in ionic radius along the lanthanide series (p. 1234), is more akin to the later lanthanides. 

E. Morrice, B. Porter, E. A. Brown, C. Wyche and R. G. Knickerbocker, Electrowinning Cerium Group and Yttrium Group Metals, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Rept. Invst. No. 5868,1961. 

The cerium group of REOEs, in which loparit, bastnaesite, parisit, monazite, eshipit and ortit are included. 

Bastnaesite belongs to the carbonatite group of minerals that contain REOEs. Beside the cerium group of elements, bastnaesite also contains yttrium and europium. Typically, it contains 65-75% REOE. Bastnaesite is usually found in pegmatites, carbonatite and hydrothermal ore bodies in alkaline gangue minerals. Because it is poor chemically and stable, it is not found in mineral sand deposits. 

Flotation Properties of Cerium Group of Reoe Minerals... 

Monazite, bastnaesite and loparite contain exclusively cerium group of REOEs. 

FLOTATION PROPERTIES OF CERIUM GROUP OF REOE MINERALS... 

Symbol Nd atomic number 60 atomic weight 144.24 a rare earth lanthanide element a hght rare earth metal of cerium group an inner transition metal characterized by partially filled 4/ subshell electron configuration [Xe]4/35di6s2 most common valence state -i-3 other oxidation state +2 standard electrode potential, Nd + -i- 3e -2.323 V atomic radius 1.821 A (for CN 12) ionic radius, Nd + 0.995A atomic volume 20.60 cc/mol ionization potential 6.31 eV seven stable isotopes Nd-142 (27.13%), Nd-143 (12.20%), Nd-144 (23.87%), Nd-145 (8.29%), Nd-146 (17.18%), Nd-148 (5.72%), Nd-150 (5.60%) twenty-three radioisotopes are known in the mass range 127-141, 147, 149, 151-156. 

Neodymium occurs in nature in the minerals hastnasite, monazite, cerite and allanite. The element always is associated with other rare earths, especially cerium group elements. Its abundance in the earth s crust is about 0.0024%. 

Cerium group of rare earths. A classic of science, Sci. News Letter, 20,... 

Double sulphate precipitation is one of the most common methods used in industry for the separation of cerium group from yttrium group rare earths. Various other precipitants such as chromates, double chromates, ferrocyanides, phosphates etc. have been tried. 

Formates. — The simplest Tnowo-carboxylic acid is formic acid (HCOOH). Formate complexes have not been extensively investigated although Sakkar [353] has mentioned rare earth formates. The cerium group rare earths form spherulic formates which are hexagonal. This property is used to identify small amounts of these elements. These formates are prepared by dissolving freshly prepared rare earth hydroxides in formic acid. 

Mixed Hydroxides Thorium Cerium Group Lanthanides... 

Cement, laboratory, 1 189 Cerite, extraction of, 2 44 Cerium, phosphor containing strontium sulfide and, 3 23 separation of, from rare earth mixtures, 2 43, 47, 48 test for, 2 50 Cerium amalgam, 1 15 Cerium-group earths, separation of, from yttrium earths by doublesulfate method, 2 44, 46 Cerium (III) magnesium nitrate, 2Ce(N03)s-3Mg(N03)2-24H,0, separation of praseodymium from lanthanum by, 2 57 Cerium(III) nitrate, 2 51 Cerium (IV) nitrate, basic, 2 49 Cesium, cesium azide for preparation of, 1 79... 

Class I. The cerium group, of general formula M2Pt3(CN)12.18HaO. 

The values of pfor a regular octahedron, A E and 14 A Dq for the case of complex formation between rare earth ions and ethylenediaminetetraacetate obtained by calculations [16] are given in Table 3.7. The data show that the calculated values of 14ADq are fairly constant for the cerium group of elements, followed by a decrease for the yttrium group of elements. 

The above order pertains to the cerium group of elements. The order changes for the yttrium group of elements and appeal s to be as shown below ... 

The lanthanide contraction is probably the reason why the natural processes lead to fractionation and give rise to cerium group elements containing mainly the larger rare earth elements of lower atomic numbers, and to yttrium earth minerals containing mainly smaller rare earth elements with higher atomic numbers. Yttrium, although not a rare earth element, its atomic number 39 is low and its radius is similar to that of Ho. Thus yttrium appears with heavy rare earth elements. 

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