(Au)Through the passage of time, human technological advances have been intertwined with the discovery of metals and the processes of refining them from ore bearing rock. The bronze and iron ages were defined by the ancient art of smelting ore bearing metals such as iron, copper, gold and silver enabling the creation of tools, weapons and fine metalcrafts, among these machines, jewelry and currency. Today, most technological advances come about by the creating of metallic alloys combined with other metals and elements such as adding carbon to iron creating steel, increasing it's strength and chromium, to produce stainless steel.
Ancient metallurgists were also associated with mysticism, being a valuable part of experimentation more akin to and associated with the dark arts. ( big deal, it was called the dark ages, after all.. and war is itself a dark art being -the driving force behind everyday modern technology .
And here we are today holding in our hands such a ubiquitous example of the link between metals, rare earth elements and technology. Palladium, chrome, nickel, gold, copper, titanium, aluminum, lead, steel, tin and Lithium are examples of what goes into the components of your portable Devices.
These are Rare Earth Elements that
are not as rare compared to gold and silver to their relatively recent discovery by scientists in the 1880's. And these are in everything from your smartphone, laptop to the hybrid vehicles and aerospace, medicine, and other advanced technological applications that we take for granted nor give much thought about. They are crucial to defense technology: Radar and sonar, imaging systems, tank engines, smartbombs, computer microchips, batteries, even armour piercing depleted uranium projectiles.
However there is a dark secret contained in the elements used to power all these high-tech gadgets- they are processed in a very toxic industry in which rich nations extract and refine these elements in third world countries and leave a toxic mess that is difficult to dispose of properly. Rare earth elements often exist alongside radioactive elements such as thorium and uranium, raw ore mined by machines separated by complex processes which come out as waste product after extraction and refining using sulfuric acid and vast amounts of water and energy- requiring continuous power enough to supply fifty thousand houses and several Olympic sized swimming pools a day. When the ore is seperated from rock and radioactive elements is dangerous, workers need proper protection to avoid exposure and are stored as tailings in ponds and this radioactive waste has a long half -life span of about fourteen million years for thorium and uranium four and a half BILLION years. Earth is approximately only four Billion years old by comparison. Not to much surprise, most of refining is in countries with weak environmental laws and enforcement, therefore is as cheap as human life can be using exploitation. All of these industries are banned in the first world so they may mine it there but process it elsewhere on the planet. RRE's found in your smartphone/ laptop:
Color touchscreens: Europium, Yttrium, Terebium, Lanthanium, Dysprosium, Praseodymium, Gadolinium,, Glass polishing: Cerium,, Lanthanium, Praseodymium. Batteries: lithium. Circuit boards: neodymium, praseodymium, terbium, dysprosium.. Hybrid car: component sensors- yttrium LED screen: europium, yttrium, cerium. Fuel additives: cerium, lanthanium. Hybrid battery: lanthanium, cerium, zirconium. Electric motors: neodymium supermagnets, lanthanium. Headlight: neodymium, praseodymium, zirconium, tungsten. Engine: neodymium, terbium, disprosium. If you doubt the radiation levels are harmful, just look at Arafat, said to have been assassinated using the radioactive metalloid, polonium.
(Pm) Promethium- named after the Titan Prometheus who brought to the mortals the gift and knowledge of fire for which he was punished by Zeus chained to a rock. (nuclear batteries)
(Sm) Samarium- Named after Vasili Samarsky- Bykhovets who discovered rare earth ore samarsite. (rare earth magnets, lasers, neutron capture, masers)
(Eu) Europium- after the European continent. (red and blue phosphors, lasers, mercury vapor lamps, NMR relaxation)
(Gd) Gadolinium- after Johan Gadolin (rare earth magnets, high refractive index glass, lasers,  garnets, x ray tubes, computer memory microchips, neuron capture, MRI contrast agent, NMR relaxation agent)
(Tb) Terbium- safer the village of Ytterby, Sweden. (green phosphors, lasers, LEDs, flourescent lamps)
(Dy) Dysprosium- from the Greek"dysprositos"; meaning "hard to get" (rare earth magnets, lasers)
(Ho) Holonium- after Stockholm, in Latin " holmia" native city of it's discoverers.
(Er) Eribium- after the village Ytterby, Sweden (lasers, vanadium steel)
(Tm) Thulium- after the mythological land Thule. (portable x ray machines)
(Yb) Ytterbium- the first rare earth ore discovered. named after the Swedish village. (infrared lasers, chemical reducing agent, high temperaature superconductors, LEDs)
(Lu) Lutetium- after luteia, which later became Paris. (PET scan detectors, high refractive index refractive glass)
(La) Lanthanium- from the Greek "lanthanein" meaning to be hidden. (refractive lenses, Flint, hydrogen storage, battery electrodes, camera lenses, fluid catalytic for oil refineries)
(Ce) Cerium- after the dark planet Ceres, Roman agricultural goddess. (chemical oxidizers, polishing powder, yellow color glass and ceramic agent, ferrocerium Flint)
(Pr)Praseodymium- Greek meaning green "prasios" and "didymos".
