The most important thing is the weapon system? Electronics? Night vision device? For example, if there are no rare earth components in the high-end weapon system, it will be like cooking without salt or the same ingredients? No matter how good it is, The dishes are not delicious without salt and seasonings? The following are reference materials. The English name of rare earth is Rare? Earth, which means "rare soil". In fact, this is just a misunderstanding left to people in the 18th century. After 1787, several rare earth elements were discovered one after another, but the corresponding minerals were rarely found. Due to the limitations of the scientific and technological level at that time, people could only produce some impure, earth-like oxides, so people gave this group of elements such a unique and interesting name.

According to the definition of rare earth elements by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, rare earth elements are the 15 lanthanide elements with atomic numbers from 57 to 71 in the third subgroup of Mendeleev’s periodic table of elements. That is, lanthanum (57), cerium (58), praseodymium (59), neodymium (60), promethium (61), samarium (62), europium (63), gadolinium (64), terbium (65), dysprosium (66) , holmium (67), erbium (68), thulium (69), ytterbium (70), lutetium (71), plus scandium (21) and yttrium (39) that are similar to their electronic structures and chemical properties, *** There are 17 elements in total. Except for scandium and promethium, the remaining 15 elements tend to occur naturally.

Based on certain differences in the physical, chemical and geochemical properties of rare earth elements and the requirements of separation processes, scholars often divide rare earth elements into two groups: light and heavy, or three groups: light, medium and heavy. . The classification of the two groups is based on gadolinium. The seven elements before gadolinium, lanthanum, dysprosium, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, and europium, are light rare earth elements, also known as the cerium group rare earth elements; gadolinium and the terbium and terbium after gadolinium. Nine elements including dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium and yttrium are called heavy rare earth elements, also known as the yttrium group rare earth elements. Although the atomic weight of yttrium is only 89, its chemical properties are closer to those of heavy rare earth elements because its ion radius is within the ion radius chain of other heavy rare earth elements. It also occurs with other heavy rare earth elements in nature. Therefore it is classified as heavy rare earth group. There is no definite rule for classifying the three groups of light, medium and heavy rare earths. For example, according to the solubility of rare earth sulfate double salts, they can be divided into: the poorly soluble cerium group, which is the light rare earth group, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium and samarium; the slightly soluble terbium group, which is the medium The rare earth group includes europium, gadolinium, terbium, and dysprosium; the more soluble yttrium group, the heavy rare earth group, includes yttrium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. However, the solubility differences between adjacent elements in each group are very small and cannot be distinguished using this method. Nowadays, extraction methods are often used for grouping. For example, di(2) ethylhexyl (phosphoric acid) (P204) can be used to group neodymium/samarium, and then group between gadolinium/terbium, etc. Among them, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium are called light rare earths, samarium, europium, and gadolinium are called medium rare earths, and terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium plus yttrium are called heavy rare earths.

The content of rare earths in the earth's crust is not rare. The Clark value of this group of elements reaches 0.0236, of which the cerium group elements are 0.01592 and the yttrium group elements are 0.0077; they are higher than the common elements copper (0.01) and zinc (0.005 ), tin (0.004), lead (0.0016), nickel (0.008), cobalt (0.003), etc. are all abundant. This group of elements is not earth, but a group of typical metal elements, whose activity is second only to alkali metals and alkaline earth metals.

Table 1-1: Abundance of rare earth elements in the earth's crust

Element name

Sc

Y

La

Ce

Pr

Nd

Pm

Sm

Crustal abundance, ppm

25

31

35

66

9.1

40

4.5*10-1

7.06

Element name

Eu

Gd

Tb

Dy

Ho

Er

Tm

Yb

Lu

Crustal abundance, ppm

2.1

6.1

1.2

4.5

1.3

1.3

0.5

3.1

0.8

The position of rare earth elements in the periodic table of elements is very special. 17 elements are in Group IIIB. Scandium, yttrium, and lanthanum are the fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively, and the third in the long period transition element series. an element. The properties of lanthanum and the following 14 elements are very similar. Chemists can only put them into one grid. No wonder some people treat them as "isotopes". However, due to their different atomic numbers, they cannot be counted as true isotopes. That is to say, their properties are very similar, but not exactly the same, which makes it difficult to separate this group of elements, but it also shows that separation is possible as long as the slight differences are used; on the other hand, their electronic structures have a There is no fully filled inner electron shell, the 4f electron shell. Due to the different number of electrons in the 4f layer, each element of this group of elements has a very special personality, especially its optical and magnetic properties, just like a piano with a complete keyboard and a wide range of sounds.

Information, biology, new materials, new energy, space and ocean are promoted by contemporary scientists as the six new science and technology groups. The reason why people pay attention to, study and develop rare earths is because rare earth elements are present in these six groups. Every big technology group has a place to display its talents. However, rare earth elements are still a group of elements that are not fully understood by people. This requires great efforts to study and understand them, so as to support them and make them make greater contributions to mankind

Rare earth does not refer to a certain mineral, but a class of rare minerals. There are 17 rare earth elements, namely lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium and yttrium, of which only promethium is a radioactive element. As early as 1787, chemists discovered several rare earth elements one after another, but very few corresponding minerals were found, so chemists called these substances rare earths. Of course, the rarity of rare earth elements is relative. Geological survey results in recent years have shown that rare earth elements are quite abundant in the earth's crust. For example, cerium reserves are higher than cobalt, yttrium reserves are higher than lead, and lutetium and thulium reserves are equivalent to antimony, mercury, and silver.

However, since rare earth elements usually appear in aggregate in the earth's crust, and their physical and chemical properties are relatively close, it is very difficult to separate these rare earth elements. Therefore, the purification of rare earth elements is a huge difficulty in chemical research. From the separation of yttrium by the Finn Gadolin in 1794 to the preparation of promethium by the Americans Mariinsky and others in 1947, the complete purification of 17 rare earth elements took more than 150 years. Academician Xu Guangxian's important contribution is also in the field of rare earth extraction. He proposed the cascade extraction theory and raised my country's rare earth extraction and separation technology to the international advanced level.

my country ranks first in rare earth resources in the world

Our country is rich in rare earth mineral resources and has superior mineralization conditions. It is uniquely endowed by nature. The proven reserves rank first in the world. Industry provides a solid foundation.

There are about 250 kinds of rare earth minerals discovered in the world, but there are only 50 to 60 kinds of rare earth minerals with industrial value, and currently only about 10 kinds have mining value. In addition to China, the world's rare earth resource owners include the United States, Russia, Canada, Australia and other countries.

China's rare earth resources account for 41.36% of the world's total, and their distribution is extremely reasonable. China is a veritable country with rare earth resources. The main rare earth mines in my country include the Bayan Obo rare earth mine, Shandong Weishan rare earth mine, Mianning rare earth mine, Jiangxi weathered crust eluviation type rare earth mine, Hunan brown yttrium niobium mine and seaside sand mines on the long coastline, etc. Today, China's production of high-purity rare earths accounts for more than 80% of the world's output.

Rare earths are widely used in life

We deal with rare earth materials every day, because the computers and televisions we often use contain rare earth materials. Since rare earth elements have a special electron layer structure that can convert absorbed energy into light and emit it, rare earth elements can be used to make phosphors in electrical picture tubes. The picture tube phosphor contains rare earth elements yttrium and europium. The use effect of this phosphor is far better than the non-rare earth sulfide red phosphor previously used. At present, various rare earth phosphors are used in a wide range of applications, such as radar picture tubes, fluorescent lamps, high-pressure mercury lamps, etc.

Rare earth oxides can also be used to make special glasses. For example, glass containing the rare earth element lanthanum is a glass with excellent optical properties. This glass has a high refractive index, low dispersion and good chemical stability, and can be used to manufacture lenses for advanced cameras and periscope lenses. Rare earth oxides can also be used to make colored glass. Adding the rare earth element neodymium can make the glass turn wine red, adding the rare earth element praseodymium can make the glass green, and adding the rare earth element erbium can make the glass turn pink. These stained glasses have unpredictable colors and can be used to create decorative items.

Rare earth elements also play an important role in protecting our health. Rare earth compounds can be used to stop bleeding, and the hemostatic effect is rapid and can last for about a day. The use of rare earth drugs has good effects on various inflammations such as dermatitis, allergic dermatitis, gingivitis, rhinitis and phlebitis. For example, the use of rare earth drugs containing cerium salts can reduce wound inflammation and accelerate healing in burn patients. The anti-cancer effect of rare earth elements has attracted widespread attention. In addition to scavenging harmful free radicals in the body, rare earth elements can also reduce the level of calmodulin in cancer cells and increase the level of tumor suppressor genes.

In addition to the above three uses, rare earth elements have a wide range of uses in our lives. Just adding an appropriate amount of rare earth elements to some traditional products will produce some magical effects. At present, rare earths have been widely used in dozens of industries such as metallurgy, petroleum, chemical industry, textiles, medicine, and agriculture. For example, rare earth steel can significantly improve the wear resistance, abrasion resistance and toughness of steel; rare earth aluminum wire rods can increase the strength and conductivity while reducing the thickness of aluminum wires; spraying rare earth pesticides on fruit trees can both eliminate pests and diseases, and can increase the fruit bearing rate; rare earth compound fertilizers can not only improve the soil structure, but also increase the output of agricultural products; rare earth petroleum cracking catalysts are used in my country's oil refining industry, costing less than 100 million yuan, but they can increase the output of light oils such as gasoline Efficiency is increased many times.

And everyone may know that liquid crystals and warheads have the largest reserves in China. ?

In fact, the United States and Japan have not told everyone their true purpose: emerging energy! ?

Rare earths and energy are simply impossible? If you don’t believe it, then just listen to what I say. ?

My guess: Rare earth rare metal alloy materials are non-deformable super-hard materials that can withstand high temperatures and pressures, and are important raw materials for manufacturing semi-solid energy engine blocks and accessories. This is a secret of the United States. They call this engine a "detonation engine." It is the top secret technology of the United States. Everyone envies the high speed of the flying saucer. It is the guarantee of instantaneous high power. The moment the aircraft is overtaken by a missile, It can start the thin jet engine to instantly accelerate out of the missile's killing range. In an ultra-high-altitude oxygen-deficient environment, it is a near-earth application technology of near-space technology, an oxygen-free non-rocket flight technology, and rare earths are the key raw materials of this technology.

?

The mutual development is vividly reflected in rare earths. Certain rare element alloys in rare earths are not only eternal but also accompanied by sensitive and fickle things. They are more sensitive to temperature than imagined, and subtle Temperature difference can change its physical properties and chemical properties. This is the discovery of **. ** has now disclosed part of the temperature difference technology. In fact, the core temperature difference technology has not been mentioned at all, which is thermoelectric generator technology: 1. Liquid technology, that is Using the liquid medium containing rare metals as the main carrier of the thermoelectric generator, in layman's terms, realizes the reverse operation mechanism of the refrigerator refrigeration machine. 2. Combine this solidification technology with temperature memory technology to use temperature differences to produce deformation and generate power. Make the generator work to generate electricity or the engine to run. In this way, as long as the sun rises and sets, the world will never lack power and energy. It is not a perpetual motion machine or nuclear fission, but it is a real future new energy technology. Unfortunately, this raw material is only owned in large quantities by China, and it is still called "earth". So I can’t tell you the real uses of rare earths. In fact, its strategic value is no less than that of a nuclear mine! ?

China has natural resources but is wasting them. Without human resources, there is no waste of technical resources. Without technical resources, there is no waste of resources left by our ancestors! ?

"There is oil in the Middle East and rare earths in China." This was the "famous saying" of President Xi Jinping when he arrived in Jiangxi on his southern tour in 1992. However, from 1990 to 2005, China's export volume of rare earths increased nearly 10 times, but the average price was reduced to 60% of the original price. ?The country drastically reduced exports of rare earths in 2010

The following are the military uses of rare earths: Why can the "Patriot" missile shoot down the "Scud" relatively easily? Why is it that although there is not much difference in the direct firing range of the main guns of the US-made M1 and Soviet-made T-72 tanks, the former can always fire earlier and more accurately? Why can the F-22 fighter jet cruise at supersonic speeds? ...

These "whys" outline the tremendous progress in today's military technology, and also outline the turmoil and conflicts in the world in the past 20 years. For every "why" there is a specific and clear answer. However, from the perspective of materials science, "rare earths" can solve all the above problems at once.

The development and application of rare earths have provided a powerful engine for military technology in recent decades.

Those incredible military miracles in the Gulf War, and the asymmetric control ability of the war process demonstrated by the US military in local wars after the Cold War, in a certain sense, it was rare earths that made all of this possible .

Because of this, the development and utilization of rare earths also creates huge risks. On the one hand, more and more countries and military forces are participating in the competition and research and development of rare earths in order to obtain asymmetric control capabilities over their opponents, raising the risk of an arms race; on the other hand, countries that have acquired such capabilities are more likely to Settle disputes with threats or war. In this regard, China, as the world's largest country in rare earth reserves, needs to cool down this arms race from the source, strictly restrict rare earth mining, and immediately ban rare earth exports.

In fact, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of rare earths. As early as the 1950s, Premier Zhou Enlai included the development of rare earths in China's first science and technology development plan. In 1975, China established a rare earth leading group. Even though the State Council’s institutions have been adjusted several times, the specialized rare earth industry management agency has always been retained. In 1991, rare earths were listed as national protected minerals. From the policy perspective of rare earth protection, there are specialized agencies, stable industry policies, and consistent overall control by the state. Even PetroChina does not have such treatment. However, the results of decades of development of the rare earth industry are basically still at the level of selling resources at a low level. Regarding the current situation of rare earth production, the Ministry of Land and Resources has carried out numerous clean-up operations since 1999. The problems targeted include indiscriminate mining, overcapacity, and disorder. Measures taken include total volume control, blowing up illegal mines, and confiscation. Production equipment, judicial intervention, licenses, signing letters of responsibility with grassroots governments, signing contracts with mines... In 2005, the Ministry of Commerce began to use taxes to control rare earth exports. These measures are so strong and last so long that they almost reach the limit of the power of the management department.

However, the chaos remains.

Someone once summarized the seven major mysteries of China's rare earths: 1. Macroeconomic control guided by industrial policies has always been difficult to work; 2. Policies to adjust industrial structure and control total production have failed again and again; 3. Sustainable development of mining Unable to implement; 4. Strengthening management measures based on unified planning is difficult to implement; 5. The desire to promote industrial upgrading through technological innovation is always just a wish; 6. Countermeasures to achieve industry self-discipline by relying on joint reorganization are impossible; 7. Strengthening promotion and application so as to The goal of increasing the added value of products has not yet been achieved.

Amidst such chaos, China's mineable rare earth reserves have dropped from 80% of the world's total more than ten years ago to 52% today. If the current production and operation model continues, perhaps China will become a small rare earth country in 20 to 50 years. If one day, China realizes the value of rare earths and hopes to buy them from the world, then what awaits China will be sky-high prices.

Rare earths

Make weapons more cold-blooded

Rare earths are strategic metals related to world peace and national security. Why can the "Patriot" missile destroy the "Scud" missile relatively easily? This is due to the excellent work of the former's precision guidance system. About 4 kilograms of samarium cobalt magnets and neodymium iron boron magnets are used in the guidance system for electron beam focusing. Samarium and neodymium are rare earth elements. Why can the M1 tank detect the enemy first? Because the tank is equipped with a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser rangefinder, which can reach a viewing distance of nearly 4,000 meters on a clear day, while the T-72's laser rangefinder can see 2,000 meters, which is considered good. At night, night vision devices containing the rare earth element lanthanum became a nightmare for the Iraqi army.

As for the F-22's supersonic cruise function, it is thanks to its powerful engine and light and strong fuselage, both of which use a large number of special materials created by rare earth technology. For example, the F119 engine blades and combustion chambers use flame-retardant titanium alloy, which is said to be made from rhenium; and the F-22's fuselage is armed with rare earth-strengthened magnesium-titanium alloy. Otherwise, the F119's powerful power is enough to destroy itself in supersonic cruise.

The above is just a glimpse. In fact, almost all weapons that can be called high-tech do not contain rare earths; what is even more deadly is that rare earths are often concentrated in the most critical parts of these weapons that turn decay into magic. For example, in addition to the guidance system of the "Patriot", key parts such as the missile body control airfoil are also made of rare earth alloys; some advanced tanks have better bulletproof performance after using rare earth materials for their armor; there are also those "clairvoyants" and "clairvoyants" in the United States who control the battlefield situation. "Shunfeng Er" uses high-power traveling wave tubes created with rare earth technology, which makes its work more reliable and more resistant to interference...

To put it simply, compared to traditional weapons, the advantages of high-tech weapons are It is more convenient, more sensitive, more accurate and easier to maneuver. These are easy to mention, but they embody many of the highest achievements in today's materials science, electronic science, and engineering manufacturing. These achievements often stem from the discovery and application of certain special functions of rare earths.

Rare earths are known as industrial "vitamins". Due to their excellent optical, electromagnetic and other physical properties, they can be combined with other materials to form a wide variety of new materials with different properties. Their most significant function is to Improve the quality and performance of other products. For example, the tactical performance of steel, aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, and titanium alloys used to manufacture tanks, aircraft, and missiles can be greatly improved. Moreover, rare earths are also lubricants for many high-tech industries such as electronics, lasers, nuclear industries, and superconductors. Once rare earth technology is used in the military, it will inevitably lead to a leap in military technology. In a certain sense, the US military's overwhelming control in several local wars after the Cold War and its ability to openly and unscrupulously kill enemies were due to its superiority in the field of rare earth technology.