rare earth

[Athena]

Japan is getting really uptight because China has stopped sending rare earth to Japan, since Japan arrested the captian of a Chinese fishing boat who rammed Japanese boats. Japan must have rare earth to make things like computers. It might be able to get some rare earth fron Vietman, but this is beside the point. The point is, rare earth is rare and our high tech. industries must have it and I would like to know how to go about finding it. Investing in rare earth would be a good idea for those who have money to invest.

[John Cuthber]

The "rare earths", are not rare.

Even the rarest of them is about 10times more common than silver.

[Moontanman]

Actually the "rare earths" while not rare in the strictest sense ore bodies with concentrations large enough to make extraction feasible are rare.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare_earth_element

 

This has economic consequences: large orebodies of the cerium earths are known around the world, and are being actively exploited. Corresponding orebodies for yttrium tend to be rarer, smaller, and less concentrated. Most of the current supply of yttrium originates in the "ion adsorption clay" ores of Southern China. Some versions of these provide concentrates containing about 65% yttrium oxide, with the heavy lanthanides being present in ratios reflecting the Oddo-Harkins rule: even-numbered heavy lanthanides at abundances of about 5% each, and odd-numbered lanthanides at abundances of about 1% each. Similar compositions are found in xenotime or gadolinite.

[Athena]

Actually the "rare earths" while not rare in the strictest sense ore bodies with concentrations large enough to make extraction feasible are rare.

 

http://en.wikipedia....e_earth_element

 

 

 

You all might want to google rare again. In one day the google search has totally changed, because it is quickly rising to an International crisis. China has a monoply on the world's supply and it has embargoed rare earth to Japan which has built its economy on high tech equipment. No way would China dominate the rare earth supply if this stuff were not rare, or at least the supply that can be mined and processed. The mines in California, that supplied the silcon valley, had to be closed because of leaking radiation.

 

http://www.nytimes.c...-on-rare-earths

 

Unlike silver which had value in ancient times, the value of this stuff is related to high tech technology. China wants to replace Japan and the US as the world's supplier of high tech equipment, that is computers, satilites and military weapons, not pretty silver necklaces and earings. This has huge economic, political and military ramifications. We all know we have fought wars for the control of oil. Rare earth is as vital to our high tech way life as oil. Underdstanding mineral resources is understanding the distiny of nations. Believeing there is plenty of usable rare earth and walking away as though this discussion is unimportant, is to be politically naive, and then who is going to rule the world? The folks who don't know what mineral resources have to do with economies, politics and wars, but think Obama has a cute ass?

Edited November 12, 2010 by Athena

[insane_alien]

did you read wht moontan said?

 

the elements themselves are NOT rare. They're quite common. HOWEVER they don't form nice seams of concentrated ores like iron, copper and other minerals.

 

this means that they are rarely(and this is the part where the 'rare' comes from) found in such concentrations that it is economicaly feasible to extract them.

 

as the demand grows and prices rise, the number of deposits where it is feasible to extract the metals will increase. thats all this 'crisis' is about, the current profitable deposits are getting low and nobody wants to mine the rest because they know it won't be able to compete until the profitable deposits are depleted.

[Athena]

did you read wht moontan said?

 

the elements themselves are NOT rare. They're quite common. HOWEVER they don't form nice seams of concentrated ores like iron, copper and other minerals.

 

this means that they are rarely(and this is the part where the 'rare' comes from) found in such concentrations that it is economicaly feasible to extract them.

 

as the demand grows and prices rise, the number of deposits where it is feasible to extract the metals will increase. thats all this 'crisis' is about, the current profitable deposits are getting low and nobody wants to mine the rest because they know it won't be able to compete until the profitable deposits are depleted.

 

Oh good then we don't have to worry about reality, because it doesn't really effect us.

[Moontanman]

Rare Earth Elements in US Not So Rare, Report Finds

 

Powders of six rare earth elements oxides. (Credit: Photograph by Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Center of USDA)

 

ScienceDaily (Nov. 18, 2010) — Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101117184451.htm

[insane_alien]

Oh good then we don't have to worry about reality, because it doesn't really effect us.

 

you might have noticed that i said that they rarely form deposits that are actually economically feasible to exploit.

 

what this means is that we won't run out any time soon, but the prices will rise quite sharply.

 

ultimately this comes down to the diffirence between abundance and availability. rare earths are abundant but not readily available. the only reason they are called rare is because it took chemists a while to notice and isolate them so it appeared that they were rare.

[mississippichem]

Oh good then we don't have to worry about reality, because it doesn't really effect us.

 

Have you ever heard of neodymium magnets? They're everywhere. Sigma Aldrich sells neodymium oxide for 39.60 USD (25 g) that's pretty cheap compared to even say ruthenium, rhodium, or osmium salts which aren't even among the rarest metals.

Edited November 20, 2010 by mississippichem

[Ophiolite]

Oh good then we don't have to worry about reality, because it doesn't really effect us.

You clearly feel passionately about this. May I ask where you were twenty or thirty years ago when the industries that depend upon these elements were exploring how to secure their long range supplies? Bandwagons can be attractive transports, but when you get on them late they are often rather crowded with a questionable bunch. The original passengers have moved on to more important matters.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Ophiolite

[John Cuthber]

Have you ever heard of neodymium magnets? They're everywhere. Sigma Aldrich sells neodymium oxide for 39.60 USD (25 g) that's pretty cheap compared to even say ruthenium, rhodium, or osmium salts which aren't even among the rarest metals.

Could you, for comparison, look up the prices of Lithium (hyrdr)oxide and lead oxide from the same supplier please.

It's worth noting that Nd is about twice as abundant as lithium and 3 times commoner than lead.

[mississippichem]

Could you, for comparison, look up the prices of Lithium (hyrdr)oxide and lead oxide from the same supplier please.

It's worth noting that Nd is about twice as abundant as lithium and 3 times commoner than lead.

 

From Sigma Aldrich USA (prices may vary slightly by country):

 

Lithium Hydroxide monohydrate (99.95%) : 32.30 USD for 10 grams

 

Lead (mixed) oxide (99.99%): 41.41 USD for 5 grams

 

Lead(II) oxide (99.0%): 43.50 USD for 10 grams

 

Lead(IV) oxide (analytical purity): 173.50 USD for 10 grams

 

So...a little math...and the prices gram for gram are:

 

[ce] Nd_{2}O_3[/ce]: 1.58 USD/g

 

[ce]Pb_{3}O_{4}[/ce] (mixed oxide): 8.282 USD/g

 

[ce]PbO [/ce]: 4.35 USD/g

 

[ce][Li(OH)H_{2}O][/ce]: 3.23 USD/g

 

*These "per gram" values don't account for slightly different bulk pricings.

**I tried to select reagents of similar purity grade. They are all similar except for the lead(IV)oxide which is super pure so I didn't include it in the "per gram" calculations as it would be confusing and not indicative of the rarity of lead.

Edited December 1, 2010 by mississippichem