ASSIGNMENT

TOPIC : APPLICATIONS OF LANTHANIDES AND ACTINIDES

SUBMITTED BY : AMNA REHMAN

HAFSA KANWAL

ROLL NO : CHEM18131099
CHEM18131023

SUBMITTED TO : Dr. MUHAMMAD ASIF

Applications and Uses of Lanthanides and their
Compounds

(A) Applications and uses of elements :

(i) Uses in metallothermic reactions:
Lanthanides are used in metallothermic reactions due to their extraordinary
reducing property .Lanthanido – thermic processes can yield sufficiently pure
Nb,Zr,Fe,Co,Ni,Mn,Y,U,B,Si.These metals are also used as de-oxidizing agents
Particularly in the manufacture of Cu and its alloys.
(ii) Uses of mish-metals:
Alloys of lanthanides are known as mish – metals.The major constituents of
Mish-metals are Ce( 45%-50%),La (25%),Nd(5%) and small quantities of
Others lanthanide metals and Fe and Ca impurities.

Mish-metals are used for the production of different brands of steel

like heat resistant,stainless and instrumental steels.The addition of 0.75% of
mish-metal to steel raises its yield and its workability in heated state and
improves its resistance to oxidation.Mish – metal is and excellent scanvenger
for absorbed oxygen and sulphur in metallurgy.
 Mg-alloys containing about 30% mish metal and 1% Zr are
used for
Making parts of get engine.

La, Ce, Pr, Nd, mixed with steel are used in cigarette lighters ,
toys , flame,Throwing tanks.

Cerium magnesium alloys are used in flash light powders.

(B)USES OF LANTHANIDES COMPOUNDS:
The uses of the compounds of lanthanides can broadly be classified
as follows:

(a) Non - nuclear applications

(b) Nuclear applications

(a) Non- nuclear applications :

The following uses are important:

(i) Ceramic applications:

CeO2, La2O3, Nd2O3 , and Pr2O3 are widely used for
decolourizing glass.
Approximately 1% CeO2 is used in the manufacture of protective
transparent glass blocks to be used in nuclear technology because
these blocks are not effected by prolonged exposure to radiations.
Because lanthanide oxides can absorb uv – rays , these are used as
additives in glasses for special purposes, e.g. for making

(i) Sun glasses ( by adding Nd2 O3).

(ii) Goggles for glass blowing and welding work (Nd2O3 + Pr2
O3)

(iii) glasses protecting eyes form neutron radiation

(Gd2Q3+Sm2O3) etc.
The addition of more than 1% CeO2 to a glass gives it a brown
colour.Nd2O3 and Pr2O3 give respectively red and green
colours.Nd2O3 and Pr2O3 gives a blue colour.

(ii) Refractories :
CeS (m.p = 2000 C ) is used in the manufacture of a
special type of crucibles which are used for melting metals in a
reducing atmosphere at temperatures up to 1800 C.
Borides , carbides and nitrides of lanthanides are also used as refractories.

( iii) Abrasives:
lanthanides oxides are used as abrasives for polishing glasses
e.g. the mixtures of oxides , cesium oxide ( 47 %) , La2 O 3 +
Nd2O3 + Pr2 O3 (51%) + SiO2 , calcium oxide , ferric oxide
etc = (2%) which is called polirite has been used for polishing
glasses .
( iv) Paints:
lanthanide compound are used in the manufacture of
lakes , dyes and paints for porcelain e.g. cerium molybdate gives light
yellow colour , cerium tungstate gives greenish blue colour and salts
of Nd give red colour .

(v) In textiles and leather industries :

ceric salts are used for dying in textiles industries and
as tenning agents in leather industries. Ce (No3 )4 is used as a
mordant for alizarin dyes.
Chlorides and acetates of lanthanides make the fabrics
waterproof and acid resistant.

(vi) In medicine :
Dimals which are salicylates of Pr , and Nd are used as
germicides.cerium salts are used for the treatment of vomiting
and sea- sickness .
Salts of Er and Ce increase the red blood corpuscles and
haemoglobin content of blood.
(vii) In Agriculture :
In agriculture lanthanides compounds are used as
insect-fungicides and as trace element in fertilizers.

(viii) In Analytical chemistry :

Ce(SO4)2 is used as an oxidizing agent in
volumetric titration.
Radio isotopes of lanthanides ( e.g . La^140,Ce^142,En^153,Tb^160
etc ) are used in the study of co-precipitation , chromatographic
separations etc.
(ix) In lamps :
salts of La , Ce , Eu , and Sm are used as
activators of luminophores.

They are used in the manufacture of gas mantles, in the coating of

luminescent lamps.

They are also used for painting the screen of cathode-ray tubes.
(x) Catalytic applications:
certain compounds of lanthanides are employed
for the hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, and oxidation of various
organic compounds .

Cerium phosphate is used as a catalyst in petroleum cracking.

 To alter the electrophilicity of compounds.
 Use as a bio fuel catalysts.
 In fluidized – bed catalytic cracking .
 In automobile-exhaust emission control
 In oil refining industry
 Automotive catalytic converters
 In oil refining industry
 Automotive catalytic converters

(xi) Electronic applications:

Ferrimagnetic garnets of the type 3Ln2O3 . 5Fe2O3
are employed in microwave devices.

( xii) Neodymium oxide dissolved in selenium oxychloride is one of

the most powerfull liquid lasers known so far.

(xiii) Cerium salts are used in analysis , dyeing cotton , lead

accumulators , medicines etc.
(xiv) Gadolinium sulphate heptahydrate has been used to produce
very low temperature.

(xv) In electronic industry:

 In the production of TV screens.
 Used to form silicone chips .
 Long-life rechargeable batteries .
 Light emitting diodes.(LEDs).
 Compact fluorescent lamps(CFLs)
 Used to produce baggage scanner
(xvi) Radioactive behavior of lanthanides and
applications:

 Used as a beta source

 Nuclear powered battery
 In the production of electricity
 Used as traces
 In the treatment of cancer
 In tomography
 In radiotherapy
(xvii) In medical field:

 Magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) contrast agents

 Portable X-ray machines
 Nuclear medicine imaging
 For genetic screening tests
 Medical and dental lasers
 Cancer treatment applications
(xviii) In developing technology:

 In the production of high temperature super conductors

 Used to prepare highly reflective glass
 Mercury – vapor lamp
 Nuclear fuel rods
 Radar detection devices
 In the production of lasers,optical glass,fiber optics and
masers.
(xix) Applications of lanthanides in life
science:
 Used as traditional fluorophores

 Minimize prompt fluorescence interference

 Time resolved fluorometry (TRF)

 Flourescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)

APPLICATIONS AND USES OF
ACTINIDES :

(i) DAILY LIFE APPLICATIONS:

Actinides have some daily life applications, sucha as in smoke
detector (americium) and gas mantles(thorium) .

(ii) Used as a fuel:

They are mostly used in nuclear weapons and use as a fuel in
nuclear reactors.
nuclear reactors.

(iii) Uses for manufacturing of glass:

From the early 19th century , glass manufacturers added uranium
oxide when making yellow and green glass(it is some known as
Vaseline glass) .

(iv) Uranium phosphate complexes [Uo2(NO3)2{(RO)3PO}2]

are important in extraction of uranium in nuclear waste process.
(v) Uranyl carbonate complexes have attracted
considerable interest in recent years as they are intermediates
in the processing of mixed oxide reactor fuels and extraction of
uranium from certain ores using carbonate leaching .

(vi) In producing neutrons:

Actiniums high activity level makes it valuable in

Producing neutrons.
(vii)In medical field:
Actinium has some work done to use Ac ^225 in treating cancer
patients.

Magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) contrast agents

Portable X-ray machines
Nuclear medicine imaging
For genetic screening tests
Medical and dental lasers
Cancer treatment applications
(viii) Used in nuclear reactors as a fuel :
Thorium itself is not used for nuclear fuel, but it is used to create
the artificial uranium isotope uranium – 233 .thorium-232 first
absorbs a neutron ,creating thorium -233,which decays to
protactium – 233 over the course of about four hours .protactium
-233 slowly decays to uranium -233 over the course of about ten
months .uranium-233 is then used in nuclear reactors as a fuel.
(ix) Used in laboratory crucibles:
Thorium dioxide is a material for heat resistant
ceramics, as used in highly temperature laboratory crucibles.
(x) Applications of actinides in scientific
instruments :
Thorium dioxide when added to glass , thorium
dioxide helps increase refractive index and decrease dispersion.
Such glass finds application in high quality lenses for cameras
and scientific instruments.
(xi) Thorium tetraflouride is used as an antireflection
material in multilayered optical coatings.

(xii) Thorium dioxide gives a higher temperature of the

flame,emitting less infrared light.
During the production of incandescent filaments ,recrystallization
of tungsten is significantly lowered by adding small amount of
thorium dioxide to the tungsten sintering powder before drawing
the filaments.
A small addition of thorium to tungsten thermocathodes
considerably reduced the work function of electrons ; as the
result , electrons are emitted at considerably lower
temperatures.

There are no practical commercial uses of actinium .Actinium

Of 98 percent purity is prepared for research studies.
( xiii ) In electronic industry:

 In the production of TV screens.

 Used to form silicone chips .
 Long-life rechargeable batteries .
 Light emitting diodes.(LEDs).
 Compact fluorescent lamps(CFLs)
 Used to produce baggage scanner
(xiv) Applications of actinides in
life science:
 Used as traditional fluorophores

 Minimize prompt fluorescence interference

 Time resolved fluorometry (TRF)

 Flourescence resonance energy transfer

(FRET)
(xv) Radioactive behavior of
Actinides and applications:
 Used as a beta source
 Nuclear powered battery
 In the production of electricity
 Used as traces
 In the treatment of cancer
 In tomography
 In radiotherapy
(xvi) Applications of Actinides in
life science:
 Used as traditional fluorophores

 Minimize prompt fluorescence interference

 Time resolved fluorometry (TRF)

 Flourescence resonance energy transfer

(FRET)
(xvii) In developing technology:
 In the production of high temperature super
-conductors
 Used to prepare highly reflective glass
Mercury – vapor lamp
 Nuclear fuel rods
 Radar detection devices
 In the production of lasers,optical glass,fiber
optics and masers.
(xviii) Uses of uranium:
uranium is an element found everywhere on
Earth,but mainly in trace quantities.in 1938,German physicist
Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassamann showed that uranium could be
splits into parts to yield energy

.Uranium is the principle fuel for nuclear reactors and the main
raw material for nuclear weapons.
(xix)

 Power production

 Ballast in ships and airplanes

 Ceramics

 Radiation shielding

 Heat and fuel sources in space exploration

(xx) Uses of Actinium :
Actiniums high activity level makes it valuable in
producing neutrons .

They have been some work done to use Ac ^225 in treating

cancer patients .

There are no practical commercial use of actinium.

(xxi)
 Uranium ,plutonium and thorium are used to produce
nuclear energy.

 Thorium also used as an alloying agent.

 Other actinideshave applications in nuclear research,

medicine, and industry.
(xxii)Uses of Protactinium :
Protactinium -231 arises from the decay of uranium -235
formed in nuclear reaction.

It may support a nuclear chain reaction, which could in

Principle be used to build nuclear weapons
 Plutonium is used as a fuel in nuclear power plants.

 Americium is used in some home smokr detector.

 Californium – 252 is used to kill cancer cells.