Lanthanum is a chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57. It is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metal that tarnishes slowly when exposed to air.

When was lanthanum first used?

Word origin: Lanthanum is named after the Greek word lanthanein, which means to escape notice. Discovery: Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander extracted lanthanum oxide, or lanthana, from an impure cerium nitrate in 1839.

Where is lanthanum found?

Lanthanum mainly is obtained from lanthanum-rich monazite and bastnasite. Other lanthanum-bearing minerals include allanite and cerite. It is mined in the USA, China, Russia, Australia, and India.