18 Facts About Lanthanum

Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57.

Lanthanum has no biological role in humans but is essential to some bacteria.

Lanthanum usually occurs together with cerium and the other rare earth elements.

Lanthanum compounds have numerous applications as catalysts, additives in glass, carbon arc lamps for studio lights and projectors, ignition elements in lighters and torches, electron cathodes, scintillators, gas tungsten arc welding electrodes, and other things.

Lanthanum carbonate is used as a phosphate binder in cases of high levels of phosphate in the blood seen with kidney failure.

Lanthanum is the first element and prototype of the lanthanide series.

Lanthanum reacts with the halogens at room temperature to form the trihalides, and upon warming will form binary compounds with the nonmetals nitrogen, carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, boron, selenium, silicon and arsenic.

Lanthanum reacts slowly with water to form lanthanum hydroxide, La3.

Lanthanum is the strongest and hardest base among the rare earth elements, which is again expected from its being the largest of them.

Lanthanum oxide is a white solid that can be prepared by direct reaction of its constituent elements.

Lanthanum fluoride is insoluble in water and can be used as a qualitative test for the presence of La.

Lanthanum reacts exothermically with hydrogen to produce the dihydride LaH2, a black, pyrophoric, brittle, conducting compound with the calcium fluoride structure.

Lanthanum chemistry tends not to involve p bonding due to the electron configuration of the element: thus its organometallic chemistry is quite limited.

Lanthanum is considered a rare earth metal because the process to mine it is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive.

Lanthanum is rarely the dominant lanthanide found in the rare earth minerals, and in their chemical formulae it is usually preceded by cerium.

Lanthanum is separated as a double salt with ammonium nitrate by crystallization.

Lanthanum carbonate was approved as a phosphate binder to absorb excess phosphate in cases of end stage renal disease.

Lanthanum has a low to moderate level of toxicity and should be handled with care.