A team of scientists was recently able to observe how promethium forms chemical bonds when placed in an aqueous solution. Proving a hypothesis can be exciting, but witnessing something that has never ...

The lanthanide elements’ 4f electron orbitals are notoriously shy and retiring, and they were long thought to be unwilling partners in chemical bonding. Now chemists have brought out a surprising ...

What do magnets, smartphones and medical imaging devices have in common? They all depend on rare earth elements called lanthanides, which are vital for modern technology. Yet, separating these ...