Lutetium is a rare and expensive metallic element in the lanthanide group, with limited commercial uses due to difficulties in extraction. It is identified by the symbol Lu, has a high melting point and is resistant to corrosion. It is used in nuclear applications, experimental nuclear medicine, and as a catalyst in petroleum refineries. Lutetium is mildly toxic and can irritate mucous membranes, but some studies suggest it can stimulate metabolic rates.
Lutetium is a metallic chemical element classified among the lanthanides of the periodic table of elements. This element is quite rare and difficult to extract in pure form, and consequently does not have a large number of commercial uses. Pure lutetium tends to be quite expensive, due to the difficulties inherent in the separation process; prices fluctuate, but it tends to be more expensive than comparable metals. The primary source for the world’s lutetium is the mineral monzanite and impurities in other lanthanide metals such as yttrium.
When lutetium is isolated, the metal is silvery white. It is the heaviest and hardest of the lanthanide metals. The element is identified by the symbol Lu on the periodic table of elements, and has atomic number 71. The element is also extremely resistant to corrosion and has a high melting point compared to other lanthanide metals.
Credit for the discovery of this element goes to Georges Urbain of France, although the element was also discovered simultaneously by Carl Auer von Welsbach, who proposed the name “cassiopium”, and Charles James. Urbain was given the privilege of naming the element, initially calling it lutecium, after the Latin name for Paris, France. Eventually, the element name was changed to lutetium. Some people in Germany refer to the element as cassiopium, although this usage is frowned upon by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), which oversees matters of elemental nomenclature, among other things.
Because lutetium is so difficult to isolate, not many uses have been developed for it. Lutetium is used in some nuclear applications and in experimental nuclear medicine. It is also used as a catalyst for cracking hydrocarbon chains in petroleum refineries. Various isotopes of the element are sometimes used in meteor dating, and a number of compounds that contain lutetium also have commercial uses.
Like other members of the so-called “rare earth” group, lutetium is mildly toxic. Lutetium dust can be explosive and fumes and particles of the element can irritate mucous membranes. People should avoid ingesting the item and wear appropriate face protection when working with it to prevent harmful levels of exposure. Although the element does not seem biologically necessary, some studies have shown that lutetium can stimulate metabolic rates.
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