Element 65 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is terbium. Terbium and its compounds are used in sonar and phone and TV screens, and some of its compounds have the interesting property of being triboluminescent. An alloy of terbium, dysprosium and iron, terfenol-D, has the unusual property of changing shape in magnetic …

Element 64 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is gadolinium. Gadolinium and its compounds are used in MRI imaging, magnetic refrigerators, and as diamond simulants. Solutions of gadolinium complexes are used as contrast agents to improve the quality of MRI images. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) allows the production of detailed images of …

Element 63 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is europium. Europium is, appropriately, found in Euro banknotes, and also gives some of the colours in phone and TV screens. Europium compounds are used in Euro banknotes as a security feature. The complexes used fluoresce under ultraviolet (UV) light. The UV light excites …

Element 62 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is samarium. Samarium is found in guitar pick-ups and can also be used to date rocks and meteorites. Samarium is distinguished in that it was technically the first element to be named after a person, albeit indirectly. It’s named after the mineral samarskite, from …

Element 61 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is promethium. Only trace amounts of promethium form naturally, which limit its applications, though it has previously been trialled in atomic batteries. All isotopes of promethium are radioactive, and though it may once have existed in Earth’s crust, it would have decayed away to …

Element 60 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is neodymium. Neodymium is used in powerful magnets found in a variety of everyday products. It’s also used in lasers for eye surgery. Neodymium is alloyed with iron and boron to make the strongest type of commercially available permanent magnets. These magnets have a …

Element 59 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is praseodymium. Praseodymium is used in aircraft engine alloys, and it also found in some fibre optic cables. Praseodymium oxide is found in didymium glass, along with neodymium. Didymium was originally regarded as a single element, and it was 30 years after its original …

Element 58 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is cerium. Cerium is the main metal in lighter flints, and is also found in ovens and diesel fuel. Cerium is the main metal in the alloy mischmetal, which sparks when struck and is used in lighter flints. Mischmetal also contains several other lanthanoid …

The Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha started on Sunday evening and runs through until Thursday. As part of the celebrations, some create impressively intricate art on their hands using henna. Here we take a look at the molecules in henna that allow it to be used as a dye, and how this process works. Henna …

Element 57 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is lanthanum. The first of the lanthanoid series of elements, lanthanum and its compounds find use in camera lenses, hybrid vehicles, and swimming pools. The lanthanoid (or lanthanide) series of elements takes its name from lanthanum. These elements are so-called because of their chemical …