Trivalent rare earths

Of the rare earths, trivalent Sm, Eu, Tb and Dy usually show strong visible fluorescence either in their crystals or in solution. Although these ions constitute the middle of the rare earth series, the fluorescence is by no means restricted to them, and, in fact, fluorescence has now been observed for the whole rare earth series in doped anhydrous LaCL crystals. Fluorescence spectra are especially valuable for obtaining information about the different levels of the lowest multiplet of the ion, as at low temperature discernible fine structure is often observed. 

Not reaching so far, and instead of assuming Pr to be totally ionic, allowing some covalency, it may be enough to assume that since Pr is the largest cation among rare earth trivalent cations, the Pr4f orbitals may overlap with 02p... 

Whereas zirconium was discovered in 1789 and titanium in 1790, it was not until 1923 that hafnium was positively identified. The Bohr atomic theory was the basis for postulating that element 72 should be tetravalent rather than a trivalent member of the rare-earth series. Moseley s technique of identification was used by means of the x-ray spectra of several 2ircon concentrates and lines at the positions and with the relative intensities postulated by Bohr were found (1). Hafnium was named after Hafma, the Latin name for Copenhagen where the discovery was made. 

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. 

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). 

Separation Processes. The product of ore digestion contains the rare earths in the same ratio as that in which they were originally present in the ore, with few exceptions, because of the similarity in chemical properties. The various processes for separating individual rare earth from naturally occurring rare-earth mixtures essentially utilize small differences in acidity resulting from the decrease in ionic radius from lanthanum to lutetium. The acidity differences influence the solubiUties of salts, the hydrolysis of cations, and the formation of complex species so as to allow separation by fractional crystallization, fractional precipitation, ion exchange, and solvent extraction. In addition, the existence of tetravalent and divalent species for cerium and europium, respectively, is useful because the chemical behavior of these ions is markedly different from that of the trivalent species. 

A mixture of dimethyl sulfate with SO is probably dimethyl pyrosulfate [10506-59-9] CH2OSO2OSO2OCH2, and, with chlorobenzene, it yields the 4,4 -dichlorodiphenylsulfone (153). Trivalent rare earths can be separated by a slow release of acid into a solution of rare earth chelated with an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid agent and iodate anion. As dimethyl sulfate slowly hydrolyzes and pH decreases, each metal is released from the chelate in turn and precipitates as the iodate, resulting in improved separations (154). 

Harrowfield et al. [37-39] have described the structures of several dimethyl sulfoxide adducts of homo bimetallic complexes of rare earth metal cations with p-/e rt-butyl calix[8]arene and i /i-ferrocene derivatives of bridged calix[4]arenes. Ludwing et al. [40] described the solvent extraction behavior of three calixarene-type cyclophanes toward trivalent lanthanides La (Ln = La, Nd, Eu, Er, and Yb). By using p-tert-huty ca-lix[6Jarene hexacarboxylic acid, the lanthanides were extracted from the aqueous phase at pH 2-3.5. The ex-tractability is Nb, Eu > La > Er > Yb. 

The idealized configurations refer to those expected on the basis of Hund s rule, that is configurations in which spin multiplicity is maximized. The only elements where the idealized configurations are found to occur are Ce, Gd, and Lu. Many early assignments of rare earth configurations had assumed the above-given idealized versions, due to the predominant trivalency of the rare earths. This provides another example of a difference between the chemical and spectroscopic periodic tables. 

Fluorescent lifetimes of trivalent rare earth transition metal chemistry. G. E. Peterson, Transition Met. Chem. (N.Y.), 1966, 3, 202-302 (173). 

Solvent extraction in the separation of rare earths and trivalent actinides. B. Weaver, Ion Exch. Solvent Extr., 1974, 6,190-277 (538). 

The valences of the rare-earth metals are calculated from their magnetic properties, as reported by Klemm and Bommer.14 It is from the fine work of these investigators that the lattice constants of the rare-earth metals have in the main been taken. The metals lutecium and ytterbium have only a very small paramagnetism, indicating a completed 4/ subshell and hence the valences 3 and 2, respectively (with not over 3% of trivalent ytterbium present in the metal). The observed paramagnetism of cerium at room temperature corresponds to about 20% Ce4+ and 80% Ce3+, that of praseodymium and that of neodymium to about 10% of the quadripositive ion in each case, and that of samarium to about 20% of the bipositive ion in equilibrium with the tripositive ion. 

Lanthanum is a naturally occurring trivalent rare earth element (atomic number 57). Lanthanum carbonate quickly dissociates in the acidic environment of the stomach, where the lanthanum ion binds to dietary phosphorus, forming an insoluble compound that is excreted in the feces. Lanthanum has been shown to remove more than 97% of dietary phosphorus... 

Di or trivalent cations are able to induce the dissociation of coordinated water molecules to produce acidic species such as MOH+ (or MOH2+ for trivalent metal cations) and H+. Several infrared studies concerning rare-earth or alkali-earth metal cation exchanged Y zeolites have demonstrated the existence of such species (MOH+ or MOH2+) [3, 4, 5, 6]. However, the literature is relatively poor concerning the IR characterization of these acidic sites for LTA zeolites. The aim of the present work is to characterize 5A zeolite acidity by different techniques and adsorption tests carried on 5A zeolite samples with different ion exchange. 

Rare earth elements are the general term for 15 kinds of lanthanide elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Py, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) together with Sc and Y elements. They prefer trivalent states in the complex formation, though three elements (Eu, Sm, Yb) can assume tri- and divalent stateos and Ce a tri- or tetravalent state. Their ionic radii are fairly large (1.0-1.17 A) and their electronegativities are low (1.1-1.2). In fact, the former are much larger than those of... 

The transition-metal and rare-earth core-line XPS spectra show little, if any, BE shifts at all. Nevertheless, information about atomic charge and valence states can be extracted by examining other features in the spectra. The plasmon loss satellite intensity found in the spectra of Co-containing compounds provides a particularly useful handle on the Co charge. The lineshapes of RE spectra are characteristic of their valence state, as seen in the distinction between trivalent and tetravalent cerium in CeFe4Pni2 compounds. 

The rare earth elements (REE) form a group of elements that have coherent geochemical behaviour due to their trivalent charge and similar ionic radii. They can, however, be fractionated from one another as a result of geochemical processes operating under specific physico-chemical conditions. In order to outline general trends within and differences between the individual REE, concentrations are usually normalized to a reference system (e.g. to shale). Deviations of individual elements from the generally smooth trend are referred to as anomalies. 

---