Lanthanide property

Lanthanides properties and general references. For a systematic treatment and general references of the physical and chemical properties of the rare earths and their compounds and alloys mention can be made to a periodical publication in which several contributions to these subjects are being collected. See for instance Gschneidner and Eyring (1978) and Gschneidner etal. (2005). We would also like to quote a sentence, included in the prefaces of all these books, which hints at the complexity and richness of the rare earth behaviour and the ever-increasing interest in their properties and applications. The mentioned sentence is as follows ... 

Europium and ytterbium di-valence. The oxidation state II for Eu and Yb has already been considered when discussing the properties of a number of divalent metals (Ca, Sr, Ba in 5.4). This topic was put forward again here in order to give a more complete presentation of the lanthanide properties. The sum of the first three ionization enthalpies is relatively small the lanthanide metals are highly electropositive elements. They generally and easily form in solid oxides, complexes, etc., Ln+3 ions. Different ions may be formed by a few lanthanides such as Ce+4, Sm+2, Eu+2, Yb+2. According to Cotton and Wilkinson (1988) the existence of different oxidation states should be interpreted by considering the ionization... 

The large size and ionic, electropositive character of the lanthanides, properties which make the chemistry experimentally difficult, also make the lanthanides strongly electrophilic and oxophilic. These properties can also impart unusual chemistry. 

Promethium is a fission product (Ch. 4 and 19) and can be chemically isolated in pure form. It exhibits typical lanthanide properties and is used in technology and medicine as a radiation source (Ch. 9). 

Evidence other than that of ion-exchange favours the view of the new elements as an inner transition series. The magnetic properties of their ions are very similar to those of the lanthanides whatever range of oxidation states the actinides display, they always have -1-3 as one of them. Moreover, in the lanthanides, the element gado-... 

Thus it can be seen that elements in and near the island of stabiHty based on element 114 can be predicted to have chemical properties as foUows. Element 114 should be a homologue of lead, that is, should be eka-lead, and element 112 should be eka-mercury, element 110 should be eka-platinum, etc (26,27). If there is an island of stabiHty at element 126, this element and its neighbors should have chemical properties like those of the actinide and lanthanide elements (26). 

Although rare-earth ions are mosdy trivalent, lanthanides can exist in the divalent or tetravalent state when the electronic configuration is close to the stable empty, half-fUed, or completely fiUed sheUs. Thus samarium, europium, thuUum, and ytterbium can exist as divalent cations in certain environments. On the other hand, tetravalent cerium, praseodymium, and terbium are found, even as oxides where trivalent and tetravalent states often coexist. The stabili2ation of the different valence states for particular rare earths is sometimes used for separation from the other trivalent lanthanides. The chemicals properties of the di- and tetravalent ions are significantly different. 

Physical Properties. An overview of the metallurgy (qv) and soUd-state physics of the rare earths is available (6). The rare earths form aUoys with most metals. They can be present interstitiaUy, in soUd solutions, or as intermetaUic compounds in a second phase. Alloying with other elements can make the rare earths either pyrophoric or corrosion resistant. It is extremely important, when determining physical constants, that the materials are very pure and weU characteri2ed. AU impurity levels in the sample should be known. Some properties of the lanthanides are Usted in Table 3. 

The arc and spark spectra of the individual lanthanides are exceedingly complex. Thousands of emission lines are observed. For the trivalent rare-earth ions in soUds, the absorption spectra are much better understood. However, the crystal fields of the neighboring atoms remove the degeneracy of some states and several levels exist where only one did before. Many of these crystal field levels exist very close to a base level. As the soUd is heated, a number of the lower levels become occupied. Some physical properties of rare-earth metals are thus very sensitive to temperature (7). 

Chemical Properties. Although the chemical properties of the trivalent lanthanides are quite similar, some differences occur as a consequence of the lanthanide contraction (see Table 3). The chemical properties of yttrium are very similar too, on account of its external electronic stmcture and ionic radius. Yttrium and the lanthanides are typical hard acids, and bind preferably with hard bases such as oxygen-based ligands. Nevertheless they also bind with soft bases, typicaUy sulfur and nitrogen-based ligands in the absence of hard base ligands. 

In aqueous solutions, trivalent lanthanides ate very stable whereas only a limited number of lanthanides exhibit a stable divalent or tetravalent state. Practically, only Ce and Eu " exist in aqueous solutions. The properties of these cations ate very different from the properties of the trivalent lanthanides. For example, Ce" " is mote acidic and cetium(IV) hydroxide precipitates at pH 1. Eu " is less acidic and eutopium(II) hydroxide does not precipitate at pH 7—8.5, whereas trivalent lanthanide hydroxides do. Some industrial separations ate based on these phenomena. 

Applications Linked to Physical Properties. Apphcations involving physical properties use high purity (>99.99%) lanthanides and exploit the elements specific electronic configuration. 

In the area of superconductivity, tetravalent thorium is used to replace trivalent lanthanides in n-ty e doped superconductors, R2 Th Cu0 g, where R = Pr, Nd, or Sm, producing a higher T superconductor. Thorium also forms alloys with a wide variety of metals. In particular, thorium is used in magnesium alloys to extend the temperature range over which stmctural properties are exhibited that are useful for the aircraft industry. More detailed discussions on thorium alloys are available (8,19). 

Both arsonic and arsinic acids give precipitates with many metal ions, a property which has found considerable use in analytical chemistry. Of particular importance are certain a2o dyes (qv) containing both arsonic and sulfonic acid groups which give specific color reactions with a wide variety of transition, lanthanide, and actinide metal ions. One of the best known of these dyes is... 

Extensive efforts have been made to develop catalyst systems to control the stereochemistry, addition site, and other properties of the final polymers. Among the most prominant ones are transition metal-based catalysts including Ziegler or Ziegler-Natta type catalysts. The metals most frequentiy studied are Ti (203,204), Mo (205), Co (206-208), Cr (206-208), Ni (209,210), V (205), Nd (211-215), and other lanthanides (216). Of these, Ti, Co, and Ni complexes have been used commercially. It has long been recognized that by varying the catalyst compositions, the trans/cis ratio for 1,4-additions can be controlled quite selectively (204). Catalysts have also been developed to control the ratio of 1,4- to 1,2-additions within the polymers (203). 

D. 1. Mendeleev modified and Improved his tables and predicted the discovery of 10 elements (now known as Sc. Ga, Ge, Tc, Re, Po, Fr, Ra, Ac and Pa). He fully described with amazing prescience the properties of 4 of these (Sc, Ga, Ge, Po). Note, however, that it was not possible to predia the existence of tte noble gases or the number of lanthanide elemeiits. 

The three series of elements arising from the filling of the 3d, 4d and 5d shells, and situated in the periodic table following the alkaline earth metals, are commonly described as transition elements , though this term is sometimes also extended to include the lanthanide and actinide (or inner transition) elements. They exhibit a number of characteristic properties which together distinguish them from other groups of elements ... 

---