Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Extract Lanthanum from Mischmetal.

elementcollector1 - 29-8-2012 at 20:41

1. Dissolve in HCl.
2. Precipitate oxalates, Mg and Fe will stay in solution.
3. ???

How do I separate lanthanum from cerium? I know it has to do with the ability of cerium to form an IV oxidation state, but I have no idea as to how that helps.

Random - 30-8-2012 at 02:06

Search for cerium ammonium nitrate

blogfast25 - 30-8-2012 at 04:09

Mischmetal contains more than just Ce and La: there's at a minimum a good dollop of Nd in there, probably also Pr. Separating these is a nightmare...

elementcollector1 - 30-8-2012 at 11:33

In 1-5% amounts, yes. Recrystallization could remove that.

blogfast25 - 30-8-2012 at 12:32

You have a CoA of your metal?

elementcollector1 - 30-8-2012 at 12:40

No, that's just the average amount I found after some research. (I wish I knew a place with CoA's...)

EDIT: If anyone does know the percentage amounts, these are rods of mischmetal from magnesium firestarters.


[Edited on 30-8-2012 by elementcollector1]

blogfast25 - 30-8-2012 at 13:17

Quote: Originally posted by elementcollector1  
No, that's just the average amount I found after some research. (I wish I knew a place with CoA's...)

EDIT: If anyone does know the percentage amounts, these are rods of mischmetal from magnesium firestarters.


[Edited on 30-8-2012 by elementcollector1]


Also common lighter flints. Interestinly this metal is commercially produced by electrolysing the anhydrous RE chlorides mix (in a salt eutectic).

plante1999 - 30-8-2012 at 15:00

I have a good book on the subject but it seam to be a too big document for the forum. I'm actually working on a similar project that this one and already have good result for cerium extraction, the problem is that I'm running out of ammonium salt hence the hydrolisis of urea thread.

blogfast25 - 31-8-2012 at 05:57

Plante: if you really want make some NH3 for ammonium salts production, get a NPK fertiliser and treat it with strong alkali. And crude (NH4)2SO4 garden grade you should find at any decent garden centre...

elementcollector1 - 31-8-2012 at 13:06

If you use ammonium nitrate, the byproduct is sodium or potassium nittrate (and we all know how much fun those are...)