History:

Lanthanum was discovered by the Swedish chemist Carl Gustav Mosander in 1839. He found the element by partially decomposing a sample of cerium nitrate by heating and treating the resulting salt with dilute nitric acid. Lanthanum was considered and isolated to a positively pure form only in 1923. The word Lanthanum comes from the Greek word lanthano which means to lie hidden.

Where it is From:

When Lanthanum was first discovered, is was extracted from an earth mineral called cerium nitrate. Less recently, Lanthanum was completely isolated into a pure form in 1923.

Properties:

There are many properties of Lanthanum. Lanthanum belongs to the family of the Lanthanides, and is a silvery white metallic color. This element is a metal and its properties present that. It is a rare-earth mineral and is the first of the Lanthanide family. Lanthanum is quite reactive and ductile, but it is also malleable and soft enough to be cut with a knife. This metal reacts directly with many other elements such as carbon, nitrogen, boron, selenium, silicon, phosphorous, sulfur, and with the halogen family. Lanthanum oxidizes very quickly when it is exposed to air. Hot water attacks Lanthanum rapidly, while cold water attacks Lanthanum much more slowly. Its melting point is 920oC 1,690oF) and its boiling point is 3,454oC (6,249oF). Its density is about 6.18 grams per cubic centimeter.

Uses:

Lanthanum has uses, but most are very limited. One of the most important used for this element, is the arc lamp. An arc lamp is lit up by many chemicals and materials, but Lanthanum Oxide helps light the lamp which helps create the bright white glow. It also helps form optical glasses.