Most importantly, weapons systems? Electronics? Night vision? A lot of examples, if there is no rare earths in high-end weapons systems, it is like frying a dish without salt or seasoning, it is the same? No good dish tastes good without salt and seasoning? The following is a reference to the English word Rare Earth, meaning "scarce earth". In fact, this is just the 18th century left to people's misunderstanding. 1787 after people have discovered a number of rare earth elements, but the corresponding mineral discovery is very little. Due to the limitations of the level of science and technology at that time, people can only make some impure, like earth like oxides, so people will give this group of elements left such a chic and interesting name.
According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's definition of rare-earth elements, the rare-earth elements are the 15 lanthanides in the third subgroup of Mendeleev's periodic table with atomic numbers ranging from 57 to 71, i.e., lanthanum (57), cerium (58), praseodymium (59), neodymium (60), promethium (61), samarium (62), europium (63), gadolinium (64), terbium (65), and dysprosium (66), Holmium (67), Erbium (68), Thulium (69), Ytterbium (70), Lutetium (71), plus Scandium (21) and Yttrium (39), which have similar electronic structure and chemical properties, **** 17 elements. With the exception of scandium and promethium, the remaining 15 elements tend to be *** born.
Based on certain differences in physicochemical and geochemical properties between the rare earth elements and the requirements of the separation process, scholars tend to rare earth elements are divided into two groups of light and heavy, or light, medium and heavy three groups. The two groups are divided into gadolinium, gadolinium before the lanthanum, dysprosium, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium 7 elements for the light rare earth elements, also known as cerium group of rare earth elements; gadolinium and gadolinium after terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and yttrium and other 9 elements known as heavy rare earth elements, also known as yttrium group of rare earth elements. Although the atomic weight of yttrium is only 89, its chemical properties are closer to those of the heavy rare earth elements because its ionic radius is in the chain ring of the ionic radius of other heavy rare earth elements. It is also *** born in nature with other heavy rare earth elements. Therefore, it is categorized as a heavy rare earth group. Light in the heavy three groups of rare earths classification method does not have a certain rule, such as rare earth sulfate compound salt solubility size can be divided into: insoluble cerium group of light rare earths group, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium; slightly soluble terbium group of rare earths group, including europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium; more soluble yttrium group of rare earth group, including yttrium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium. However, the solubility difference between neighboring elements between the groups is very small, with this method is not clean. Nowadays, the grouping is mostly done by the extraction method, for example, by using bis(2)ethylphosphate, i.e., P204, in the grouping of neodymium/samarium, and then in the grouping of gadolinium/terbium, and so on. These, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium is called light rare earths, samarium, europium, gadolinium is called medium rare earths, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium plus yttrium is called heavy rare earths.
Rare earths in the earth's crust is not rare, this group of elements of the Clark value of 0.0236%, of which cerium group of elements for the 0.01592%, yttrium group of elements for the 0.0077%; than the common elements of copper (0.01%), zinc (0.005%), tin (0.004%), lead (0.0016%), nickel (0.008%), cobalt (0.003%). 0.003%), etc. are more. This group of elements is more not earth, but a group of typical metal elements, its activity is second only to the alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.
Table 1-1?Abundance of rare earth elements in the earth's crust
Element? element? Name? Name
Sc
Y
La
Ce
Pr
Nd
Pm
Sm
Earth-crustal abundance, ppm
25
31
35
66
9.1
40
4.5*10-1
7.06
Meta? The name of the program is "Element". Name Name
Eu
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
Crustal abundance, in parts per million (ppm)
2.1
6.1
1.2
4.5
1.3
1.3
0.5
3.1
0.8
Rare earth elements in the Periodic Table is a very special position, 17 elements in the same in the Ⅲ B, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, respectively, for the fourth, fifth, sixth, long period of the transition elements in the series of the first element. Lanthanum and its 14 elements after the nature is very similar, chemists can only put them into a grid, no wonder some people treat them as "isotopes", however, because of its atomic number is different, can not be counted as a true isotope. That is to say, their properties are very similar, but not exactly the same, which caused the separation of this group of elements is difficult, but also shows that as long as the use of its small differences, separation is possible; on the other hand, their electronic structure has an inner electron layer is not completely filled, that is, the 4f electron layer. Because of the difference in the number of electrons in the 4f layer, each element in this group has a very special personality, especially optical and magnetic properties, like a piano with a full keyboard and a wide range of sounds.
Information, biology, new materials, new energy, space and the ocean by contemporary scientists pushed for the six new science and technology group, the reason why people attach importance to rare earth, rare earth research, development of rare earth, that is, for the rare earth elements in this six technology group have its show of skill in the world. However, the rare earth elements, after all, is still a group of elements are not yet fully recognized by the people, which need to make great efforts to research, recognize them, so as to hold them, so that they have a greater contribution to mankind
Rare earths do not refer to a certain kind of minerals, but a class of rare minerals. There are 17 rare earth elements, namely lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, of which only promethium is a radioactive element. As early as 1787, chemists have discovered several rare earth elements one after another, but the corresponding minerals are found very little, so chemists call these substances rare earths. Of course, the rarity of rare earth elements is relative. Geological surveys in recent years have shown that rare earth elements are quite abundant in the earth's crust; for example, cerium reserves are higher than cobalt, yttrium reserves are higher than lead, and lutetium and thulium reserves are comparable to antimony, mercury, and silver.
However, since rare earth elements usually occur in aggregates in the earth's crust, and their physical and chemical properties are relatively close to each other, this makes the separation of these rare earth elements very difficult. Therefore, the purification of rare earth elements is a huge difficulty in chemical research. From the Finnish Gadolin's isolation of yttrium in 1794 to the American Malinsky's and others' production of promethium in 1947, the complete purification of the 17 rare earth elements has taken more than 150 years. Xu Guangxian academician's important contribution is also in the field of rare earth extraction, he put forward the theory of tandem extraction, China's rare earth extraction and separation process to the international advanced level.
China's rare earth resources the world's first
China has a wealth of rare earth mineral resources, metallogenic conditions are superior, can be said to be unique, the proven reserves of the world's first, for the development of China's rare earth industry provides a solid foundation. The world has discovered about 250 kinds of rare earth minerals, but only 50 to 60 kinds of rare earth minerals with industrial value, and only about 10 kinds of mining value. In addition to China, the world's rare earth resource possessor countries, there are the United States, Russia, Canada, Australia and other countries.
China's rare earth resources accounted for 41.36% of the world's distribution is also extremely reasonable, is a veritable rare earth resources country. China's major rare earth mines are Baiyun Ebo rare earth mine, Shandong Weishan rare earth mine, coronation rare earth mine, Jiangxi weathered crust leaching type rare earth mine, Hunan brown yttrium niobium mine and the long coastline of the seaside sand mine and so on. China now produces more than 80 percent of the world's high-purity rare earths.
Rare earths have a wide range of uses in life
We deal with rare earth materials every day, as the computers and televisions we often use contain rare earth materials. Because of the rare earth elements have a special electronic layer structure, can be absorbed into the energy converted to the form of light emitted, so the rare earth elements can be used to manufacture electrical appliances in the picture tube phosphor. Picture tube phosphor containing rare earth elements yttrium and europium, the use of this phosphor, far better than the previous use of non-rare earth sulfide red phosphor. At present, a variety of rare-earth phosphors are widely used, such as radar picture tubes, fluorescent lamps, high-pressure mercury lamps and so on.
Rare earth oxides can also be used in the manufacture of special glass. For example, containing rare earth element lanthanum glass is a glass with excellent optical properties, this glass has a high refractive index, low dispersion and good chemical stability, can be used to manufacture advanced camera lenses and periscope lens. Rare earth oxides can also be used in the manufacture of colored glass, the addition of rare earth element neodymium can make the glass into wine red, the addition of rare earth element praseodymium can make the glass into green, the addition of rare earth element erbium can make the glass into pink. These colored glass color is unpredictable, can be used to create decorative items.
Rare earth elements can also play an important role in safeguarding our health. Rare earth compounds can be used to stop bleeding and do so quickly and for a day or so. The use of rare earth drugs on dermatitis, allergic dermatitis, gingivitis, rhinitis and phlebitis and many other inflammatory diseases have good efficacy, for example, the use of rare earth drugs containing cerium salts can make the burn patient wound inflammation reduction, accelerate healing. The anti-cancer effect of rare earth elements has attracted widespread attention. In addition to removing harmful free radicals in the body, rare earth elements can also reduce the level of calmodulin in cancer cells and increase the level of oncogenes.
In addition to the above three uses, rare earth elements in our lives are also very wide range of uses. As long as the right amount of rare earth elements are added to some traditional products, some magical effects will be produced. At present, rare earths have been widely used in dozens of industries such as metallurgy, petroleum, chemical industry, light textile, medicine and agriculture. For example, rare earth steel can significantly improve the wear resistance, wear and corrosion resistance and toughness of steel; rare earth aluminum coil in reducing the fineness of aluminum wire at the same time can improve the strength and electrical conductivity; rare earth pesticides will be sprayed on fruit trees, both to eliminate pests and diseases, but also to improve the rate of fruiting; rare earth composite fertilizer can not only improve soil structure, but also increase the yield of agricultural products; rare earth petroleum cracking catalysts used in China's oil refining industry, the cost of less than 100 million yuan, but can make the gasoline and other light oil output efficiency increased many times.
And is that everyone may know is liquid crystal and warheads, as well as China's largest reserves.?
Actually, the US and **didn't tell everyone what they're really for: emerging energy!!!?
Rare earths and energy at all? Don't believe me, then read what I have to say.?
My guess: the rare earth's rare metal alloy material is a non-deformable super-hard material that is resistant to high temperature and high pressure, and is an important raw material for manufacturing semi-solid energy engine blocks and accessories. This is the United States of America's secret, they call this engine "burst engine, is the United States of America's top-secret technology, we all envy the high speed of the flying saucer, it is the guarantee of instant high power. Airplanes in the moment of being caught up with missiles, you can start the thin-jet engine instantly accelerate out of the missile kill range, in the ultra-high altitude oxygen-deficient environment, is the near-space technology near-earth application of technology, oxygen-free non-rocket flight technology, and rare earths is the key raw material of this technology.
Phase to do in the rare earths in the embodiment of the best, rare earths in certain rare element alloys, in addition to the eternally unchanged there are sensitive to the good change of things accompanying the temperature sensitivity more than imagined, the slightest difference in temperature can change his physical properties and chemical properties, which is the discovery of the ** ** now has been made public part of the temperature difference in the technology, the actual most core of the temperature difference in the technology is not even mentioned, that is Temperature difference generator technology: 1. Liquid technology, that is, the liquid medium containing rare metals as the main carrier of the temperature difference generator, in layman's terms, is the realization of the refrigerator-cooler counter-operating mechanism. 2. Curing this technology, and temperature memory technology want to combine the use of temperature difference to produce deformation, generate power. Make the generator do work to generate electricity or engine operation. So long as the sun rises and falls, ** there will never be a lack of power energy, not perpetual motion is not nuclear fission is the real future of new energy technology, but unfortunately this raw material is only a large number of China has, but also called "soil". So can not tell you the real use of rare earth. In fact, its strategic value is not less than the nuclear mine!
China has natural resources but waste of resources, there is no waste of human resources where the waste of technological resources, there is no waste of technological resources to bring the ancestral legacy of waste of resources!
"The Middle East has oil, China has rare earths." This is the ** 1992 south tour arrived in Jiangxi, "famous words". However, from 1990 to 2005, China's exports of rare earths increased nearly 10 times, the average price was lowered to the original 6%. Why is it that even though there is not a big difference in the range of direct fire between the main gun of an American M1 and that of a Soviet T-72 tank, the former always fires earlier and hits more accurately? Why can the F-22 fighter jet cruise at supersonic speeds? ......
These "why's" outline the great advances in military technology today, but also the turmoil and conflict in the world in the last 20 years. Each of these "whys" has a specific and clear answer. However, from the perspective of materials science, "rare earths" can solve all these problems at once.
Rare earths have provided a powerful engine for military technology in recent decades.
The Gulf War in those incredible military miracle, the U.S. military in the post-cold war local war on the war process demonstrated the ability to asymmetric control, from a certain point of view, it is the rare earths to achieve all this.
Because of this, the development and utilization of rare earths also breeds great danger. On the one hand, more and more countries, military forces in order to obtain asymmetric control over the opponent's ability to participate in the rare earth competition and research and development, breeding the risk of an arms race; on the other hand, access to such capabilities of the country more inclined to the threat or war to resolve disputes. In this regard, China, as the world's largest country in terms of rare-earth reserves, needs to cool down this arms race at the source by strictly limiting rare-earth mining and immediately banning rare-earth exports.
In fact, the Chinese government can not be said to pay no attention to the development of rare earths. As early as the 1950s, Premier Zhou Enlai rare earth development in China's first scientific and technological development plan. 1975, China has set up a leading group of rare earths, even if the State Council institutions more than adjustments, but the specialized rare earth industry management institutions have been able to retain. 1991, rare earths are included in the national protection of mineral species. From the perspective of rare earth protection policy, specialized institutions, stable industry policy, the overall control of the state consistently, even if PetroChina does not have such treatment. However, the results of decades of development of the rare earth industry, basically remains at a low level of selling resources. For the current situation of rare earth production, the Ministry of Land and Resources has conducted numerous cleanups since 1999, targeting problems including indiscriminate mining, overcapacity, and chaotic order, and adopting measures such as total volume control, blowing up illegal mines, confiscation of production equipment, judicial intervention, licenses, signing of certificates of responsibility with grass-roots governments, and signing of letters of contract with mines... ...In 2005, the Ministry of Commerce began to control rare earth exports with taxes. The strength and duration of these measures have almost reached the limit of the management's power.
However, the chaos remains. Some people have summarized China's rare earths have seven big puzzle: 1. industrial policy-oriented macro-control has always been difficult to work; 2. adjustment of industrial structure and control of the total amount of production of the policy failed again and again; 3. sustainable development mining can not be implemented; 4. unified planning as the approach to strengthen the management of the measures difficult to implement; 5. through technological innovation to promote the upgrading of the industry's aspirations will always be just a wish; 6. relying on the joint reorganization of the industry to achieve self-regulation of the countermeasures can not be implemented; 6. Realize the industry self-regulation countermeasures can not be started; 7. Strengthen the promotion and application of the goal of increasing the added value of the product has not been achieved.
In such a mess, China's rare earth mining reserves from more than a decade ago accounted for 80% of the world, down to 52% today. If the existing production and operation mode continues, perhaps 20 to 50 years later, China will become a small rare earth country. If one day China recognizes the value of rare earths and wants to buy them from the world, the sky is the limit for what awaits China.
Rare earths
Make weapons more cold-blooded
Rare earths are strategic metals for world peace and national security. Why can Patriot missiles destroy Scud missiles with relative ease? This is due to the excellent work of the former's precision guidance system. Its guidance system uses about 4 kilograms of samarium cobalt magnets and neodymium magnets for electron beam focusing, samarium and neodymium being rare earth elements. Why was the M1 tank able to detect the enemy before it did? Because the tank is equipped with neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser rangefinder, in the clear daytime can reach nearly 4,000 meters of viewing distance, while the T-72 laser rangefinder can see 2,000 meters even if good. At night, the addition of the rare earth element lanthanum night vision device has become a nightmare for the Iraqi army.
As for the F-22 supersonic cruise function, thanks to its powerful engine and light and strong fuselage, they are a large number of rare earth science and technology to create special materials. For example, the F119 engine blades and combustion chambers use flame retardant titanium alloy, which is said to be manufactured using rhenium; while the F-22's fuselage is even more armed with rare-earth-reinforced magnesium-titanium alloy. Otherwise, in supersonic cruise, the F119 is powerful enough to destroy itself.
The above is just a glimpse of what's to come. In fact, where high-tech weapons almost no rare earth body; more deadly, rare earth is often concentrated in the most critical part of these weapons into the magic. For example? "Patriot" in addition to the guidance system, the body of the bomb control wing and other key parts are also used rare earth alloys; some of the advanced tank armor with rare earth materials, bulletproof performance is better; and the United States those in control of the battlefield situation of the "clairvoyance", "wind ear" in the use of rare earth technology to create high-power traveling wave tube, which makes its work more reliable, anti-interference stronger ......
Simply put, compared with traditional weapons, the advantages of high-tech weapons is that it is more convenient, more sensitive, more accurate, more easy to maneuver. These are easy to mention, but they represent many of today's highest achievements in materials science, electronics science, and engineering and manufacturing. And these achievements are often the result of the discovery and application of certain special features of rare earths.
Rare earths have industrial "vitamins" known as its excellent physical properties such as photoelectricity and magnetism, can be composed of other materials with different properties, a wide range of new materials, its most significant function is to significantly improve the quality and performance of other products. For example, greatly improve the tactical performance of steel, aluminum alloy, magnesium alloy, titanium alloy used in the manufacture of tanks, aircraft, missiles. Moreover, rare earths are likewise lubricants for electronics, lasers, nuclear industry, superconductivity and many other high technologies. Rare earth technology, once used in the military, will inevitably bring about a leap in military technology. In a sense, the U.S. military in several local wars after the Cold War overwhelming control, as well as the ability to kill the enemy in public with impunity, is due to the field of rare earth science and technology superhuman first.