Contents: (1) Intro.; (2) What are Rare Earth Elements (REE)?; (3) Major End Uses and Applications: Demand for REE; The Application of REE in National Defense; (4) Rare Earth Resources and Production Potential; Supply Chain Issues; Role of China; (5) Rare Earth Legislation in the 111th Congress: H.R. 4866, and S. 3521, the Rare Earths Supply-Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act of 2010; H.R. 5136, the FY 2011 Nat. Defense Authorization Act; P.L. 111-84, the FY 2010 Nat. Defense Authorization Act; (6) Possible Policy Options: Authorize and Appropriate Funding for a USGS Assessment; Support and Encourage Greater Exploration for REE; Challenge China on Its Export Policy; Establish a Stockpile. Illustrations.

The production of over 400 grams of pure gadolinium metal by reduction of the anhydrous chloride by calcium in tantalum vessels is described; yields were over 97%. The use of the same techniques in an attempt to prepare yttrium metal were partially successful.

Rare Earth Elements (REE) as well as tantalum and niobium are of tremendous importance because of their specific high-technology applications. The contributions gathered in this volume give an up-to-date survey on the mineralogy, primary ore deposits, prospecting, processing and applications of REE, Ta, and Nd, making this volume a useful handbook for practitioners and students. Finally, the comprehensive coverage of the fundamental aspects, especially as regards REE as tracers of geological phenomena, will prove extremely helpful.

Progress in the Science and Technology of the Rare Earths, Volume 2 is a collection of papers that details the advancement in various areas of rare earth technology. The coverage of the text includes the practical applications and methods of preparation of rare earth materials. The selection also covers topics about the various properties of rare earths, such as the molecular field model of exchange coupling in rare earth materials; thermodynamic and magnetic properties of the rare earth chalcogenides and pnictides; and structural and solid state chemistry of pure rare earth oxides. The book will be of great use to individuals involved in the research and development of technologies that utilize rare earth materials.

Progress in the Science and Technology of the Rare Earths, Volume 1 is a 16-chapter text that brings together significant advances in understanding the scientific and technological aspects of rare earths. The first chapters deal with the geochemical properties, mass extraction, separation, fractionation, and solution chemistry of rare earths (RE). The next chapter related the U.S.S.R. efforts in delineating the chemistry of RE and in the discovery of other groups of substances for separation of RE mixtures. These topics are followed by discussions on phase equilibrium properties of RE and other oxides in mixed systems; the crystal chemistry of RE derivatives; physical and structural properties of alloys and intermetallic compounds; and the thermodynamic and magnetic properties of RE chalcogenides. The final chapter discusses the technical, industrial, and commercial applications of RE, with emphasis on their metallurgical potential. This book is of value to inorganic and organic chemists and researchers in the allied fields.