Lanthanum Powder (La)
MATERIAL
OVERVIEW
(Greek lanthanein: to lie hidden) Mosander in 1839 extracted lanthana from impure cerium nitrate and recognized the new element.
Lanthanum was isolated in relatively pure form in 1923. Iron exchange and solvent extraction techniques have led to much easier isolation of the so-called "rare-earth" elements.
Lanthanum is found in rare-earth minerals such as cerite, monazite, allanite, and bastnasite. Monazite and bastnasite are principal ores in which Lanthanum occurs in percentages up to 25 percent and 38 percent respectively. Misch metal, used in making lighter flints, contains about 25 percent Lanthanum.
The availability of Lanthanum and other rare earths has improved greatly in recent years. The metal can be produced by reducing the anhydrous fluoride with calcium .
Lanthanum is silvery white, malleable, ductile, and soft enough to be cut with a knife. It is one of the most reactive of the rare-earth metals. It oxidizes rapidly when exposed to air. Cold water attacks Lanthanum slowly, while hot water attacks it much more rapidly.
The metal reacts directly with elemental carbon, nitrogen, boron, selenium, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and with halogens. At 310C, Lanthanum changes from a hexagonal to a face-centered cubic structure, and at 865C it again transforms into a body-centered cubic structure.
Natural Lanthanum is a mixture of two stable isotopes, 138La and 139La. Twenty three other radioactive isotopes are recognized.
Rare-earth compounds containing Lanthanum are extensively used in carbon lighting applications, especially by the motion picture industry for studio lighting and projection. This application consumes about 25 percent of the rare-earth compounds produced. La2O3 improves the alkali resistance of glass, and is used in making special optical glasses. Small amounts of Lanthanum, as an additive, can be used to produce nodular cast iron.
There is current interest in hydrogen sponge alloys containing Lanthanum. These alloys take up to 400 times their own volume of hydrogen gas, and the process is reversible. Every time they take up the gas, heat energy is released; therefore these alloys have possibilities in an energy conservation system.
Reference: Los Alamos National Laboratory, <http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/57.html>
In additional our many cast forms of Lanthanum, we also specialize in producing high purity Lanthanum powder with a particle size of -40 mesh. The powder is produced by mechanical grinding and sized using fisher sieves. The Lanthanum powder is packaged either in ampoules under dry argon or sealed in air tight cans under dry argon. We package the powder to order, so no order is too small.
GENERAL
PROPERTIES
|
Symbol: |
La |
|
Atomic
Number: |
57 |
|
Atomic
Weight: |
138.9055 |
|
Density: |
6.145
gm/cc |
|
Melting
Point: |
921
oC |
|
Boiling
Point: |
3457
oC |
|
Thermal
Conductivity: |
0.134
W/cm/oK
@ 298.2 oK |
|
Electrical
Resistivity: |
5.70
microhm-cm @ 25 oC |
|
Electronegativity: |
1.1
Paulings |
|
Specific
Heat: |
0.047
Cal/g/oK @ 25 oC |
|
Heat
of Vaporization: |
96
K-Cal/gm atom at 3457 oC |
|
Heat
of Fusion: |
2.40
Cal/gm mole |
|
Thermal
Neutron Cross Section: |
9
Barns per Atom |
|
Magnetic
Susceptibility |
115
x 10-6
Emu
@ Room Temp |
|
Magnetic
Moment: |
0
Bohr Magnetons |
|
Temperature
Coefficient of Resistance: |
0.00218
@ 0 oC
to Room Temp |
TYPICAL ANALYSES
Impurities in ppm
|
Material
/ Purity: |
3N
|
|
Nd |
400 |
|
Al |
<100 |
|
Ca |
<100 |
|
Fe |
100 |
|
Mg |
<100 |
|
Pr |
<100 |
|
Si |
200 |
|
Y |
<100 |
|
Ce |
<100 |
|
Ca |
100 |
|
Ni |
100 |
LANTHANUM POWDER
|
Material |
Purity |
|
Lanthanum
Powder -40 Mesh, Ampoules Under Dry Argon |
3N |
| Lanthanum
Powder -40 Mesh, Cans Under Dry Argon |
3N |
Powder
is packaged to order and sold by the gram or
kilogram.
|
Material
Safety Data Sheet - MSDS |
Created 2008 by: ESPI Metals, 1050 Benson Way, Ashland, Oregon 97520, 800.638.2581, sales@espimetals.com