Bruce Ravel is shown at the Beamline for Materials Measurement. Despite its rarity, promethium has a few interesting applications, including manufacturing specialized glow-in-the-dark paint, radiation ...

Conceptual art shows the rare earth element promethium in a vial surrounded by an organic ligand. ORNL scientists have discovered hidden features of promethium, opening a pathway for research into ...

Lanthanides were once thought to have no role in biology, but that dogma was shattered when researchers discovered bacteria that rely on these elements to survive. Yet the microbes’ ability to gather ...

The lanthanide elements’ 4f electron orbitals are notoriously shy and retiring, and they were long thought to be unwilling partners in chemical bonding. Now chemists have brought out a surprising ...

Lanthanides are rare-earth heavy metals with useful magnetic properties and a knack for emitting light. Researchers had long assumed that lanthanides' toxicity risk was low and therefore safe to ...

Notably, the team provided the first demonstration of a feature of lanthanide contraction in solution for the whole lanthanide series, including promethium, atomic number 61. Lanthanide contraction is ...