(Intro)
Hello everyone, today I'll continue the series of videos about the lanthanide metals
and we'll also talk about such metal as lanthanum
Lanthanum is located at the beginning of the lanthanide series of metals
and from this metal the name was derived
for the whole series of metals
with similar properties, the so-called F metals
Actually, the periodic system of chemical elements
should look two times longer than it currently is.
However, as it turns out, that is not the most compact way of showcasing elements,
so the lanthanides and actinides were moved a bit down.
Lanthanum is quite an active metal
and as a result it is stored in kerosene or mineral oil.
In air, lanthanum oxidizes and covers itself
with a layer of oxide.
This metal is quite expensive.
One gram costs about 10$.
By its hardness, lanthanum resembles zinc.
It's also quite durable.
From the chemical viewpoint,
lanthanum is second among lanthanides
based on its activity,
just after europium.
It reacts with water rather slowly,
but in acetic acid it begins to react easily,
forming hydrogen and a slurry of lanthanum hydroxide.
By adding alkali, an interesting gelatineous compound is produced -
- the polyhydroxide of lanthanum,
which won't decompose being in temperatures lower than 800°C,
but it does dissolve in hydrochloric acid.
From these compounds, a porous ceramic can be created,
which has a chance in the future to become a good catalyst in organic chemistry.
Lanthanum reacts very rapidly with hydrochlorid acid, forming a transparent lanthanum chloride.
This compound is sometimes used in aquariums to prevent the growth of algae.
When pouring the sodium hydroxide alkali to lanthanum chloride, a lanthanum hydroxide is formed,
from which by using heating a lanthanum oxide can be obtained.
This oxide is used for the manufacture of optical glass with a low refractive index.
Some of the lanthanum chemical properties are similar to calcium.
Lanthanum hydroxide can dissolve in the descaling agent
that contains Trilon-B which is a good complexing agent.
If you heat lanthanum by using a gas burner it will get covered with a layer of lanthanum oxide,
however won’t even burn when ignited on wood.
However, if being part of ferrocerium, which is used for creating sparks in lighters,
lanthanum is very useful for firing up sparks created by the friction on a solid object.
Ferrocerium contains about 25% of lanthanum.
Today the most widespread use of lanthanum
is the use of its compounds as the anode in rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries.
For example, for the creation of a Toyota hybrid car that uses such batteries,
10 to 15 kg of lanthanum are required.
Also, lanthanum sponges are used for hydrogen storage,
and lanthanum fluoride is added to the ZBLAN glass that is used for making fiber
for the transmission of information.
Who knows, it may be because of lanthanum that you are currently enjoying a high speed broadband at your house.
Now you know a little bit more about one of the other metals.
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(Outro)
(Thoisoi's cat)