Lanthanum Facts - La Element Facts

Lanthanum Facts - La Element Facts Lanthanum is element number 57 with element symbol La. It is a soft, silver-colored, ductile metal known as the starting element for the lanthanide series. It is a rare earth element that usually displays the oxidation number of 3. While lanthanum serves no known biological role in humans and other animals, it is an essential element for some types of bacteria. Here is a collection of La element facts, along with the atomic data for lanthanum. Fast Facts: Lanthanum Element Name: LanthanumElement Symbol: LaAtomic Number: 57Appearance: Silvery white solid metalAtomic Weight: 138.905Group: Group 3Period: Period 6Block: d-block or f-blockElectron Configuration: [Xe] 5d1  6s2 Interesting Lanthanum Facts Lanthanum is a metal so soft it can be cut with a butter knife. It is highly malleable and ductile. Although the freshly cut metal is bright silver, it rapidly oxidizes or tarnishes in air.Lanthanum was discovered by Carl Mosander in 1839 in the mineral cerite. Mosander was a student of Swedish chemist Berzelius, who had discovered cerium in cerite in 1803. Mosander had suspected ceria contained more rare earth elements besides cerium. Axel Erdmann independently discovered lanthanum the same year as Mosander from a Norwegian mineral Erdmann named mosandrite, in honor of Mosander. Pure lanthanum metal was not produced until 1923 by H. Kremers and R. Stevens.Berzelius suggested the named Lanthana for the new element, which comes from the Greek word lanthano, meaning to be hidden.Natural lanthanum is a mixture of two isotopes. La-139 is stable, while La-138 is radioactive. At least 38 isotopes of the element have been produced.  Lanthanum is one of the most reactive of the rare earth elements. Its uses are somewhat limited by how readily it oxidizes. It is the strongest base of there found in hybrid cars. About 10 kg of lanthanum are needed to make one Toyota Prius ba  trivalent lanthanides. Lanthanum is used in nickel-metal hydride batteries, which attery! Lanthanum compounds may be added to pool produces to lower levels of phosphates, reducing algae growth. Lanthanum is also used as a petroleum cracking catalyst, as a steel additive, to make nodular cast iron, to make infrared absorbing glass and night vision goggles, and to make high-end camera and telescope lenses. Lanthanum oxide has a low dispersion and high refractive index.Lanthanum has no known function in human or animal nutrition. Because it is so reactive, it is considered moderately toxic. Lanthanum carbonate is used to reduce blood phosphate levels in patients with kidney disease.Like most rare earth, lanthanum is not really all that rare, just hard to isolate. Lanthanum is present at an abundance of about 32 parts per million in the Earths crust. Lanthanum is a soft, ductile silvery metal. Jurii Lanthanum Atomic Data Element Name: Lanthanum Atomic Number: 57 Symbol: La Atomic Weight: 138.9055 Discovery: Mosander 1839 Name Origin: From the Greek word lanthaneis (to lie hidden) Electron Configuration: [Xe] 5d1 6s2 Group: lanthanide Density 293 K: 6.7 g/cm3 Atomic Volume: 20.73 cm3/mol Melting Point: 1193.2 K Boiling Point: 3693 K Heat of Fusion: 6.20 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 414.0 kJ/mol 1st Ionization Energy: 538.1 kJ/mole 2nd Ionization Energy: 1067 kJ/mole 3rd ionization Energy: 1850 kJ/mole Electron Affinity: 50 kJ/mole Electronegativity: 1.1 Specific Heat: 0.19 J/gK Heat Atomization: 423 kJ/mole atoms Shells: 2,8,18,18,9,2 Minimum Oxidation Number: 0 Maximum Oxidation Number: 3 Structure: hexagonal Color: silvery-white Uses: lighter flints, camera lenses, cathode ray tubes Hardness: soft, malleable, ductile Isotopes (half-life): Natural lanthanum is a mix of two isotopes, though more isotopes now exist. La-134 (6.5 minutes), La-137 (6000.0 years), La-138 (1.05E10 years), La-139 (stable), La-140 (1.67 days), La-141 (3.9 hours), La-142 (1.54 minutes) Atomic Radius: 187 pm Ionic Radius (3 ion): 117.2 pm Thermal Conductivity: 13.4 J/m-sec-deg Electrical Conductivity: 14.2 1/mohm-cm Polarizability: 31.1 A^3 Source: monazite (phosphate), bastnaesite Sources Emsley, John (2011). Natures building blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-960563-7.Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements, in Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Should You Change Companies or Careers

Should You Change Companies or Careers So you’re just not that into your job. Maybe you actively hate it and it’s making you intensely miserable. But before you go nuclear and quit- ask yourself a few questions first. It could well be that your biggest beef is not with your job, per se, but with a smaller aspect of it that’s fixable. You might be able to save yourself the career 180 by taking a few minutes to figure out what the real problem is. First, ask yourself the following questions.What do you like and dislike most about your job?What are your favorite and least favorite parts of your current job? Sit down and make an actual list. Start with the stuff you hate- that’s probably fSo you’re just not that into your job. Maybe you actively hate it and it’s making you intensely miserable. But before you go nuclear and quit- ask yourself a few questions first. remost in your mind anyway. Then force yourself to come up with a list of aspects of your work that are not only tolerable , but perhaps even a bit enjoyable. If you can’t think of anything that leaves you feeling fulfilled, then there’s your answer. If you can, and the list of negatives are all about your supervisor or your particular company’s policies, not your actual day-to-day work, then you might need to keep thinking before going for a career change.What vocabulary would you use to describe your boss and coworkers?Again, if these are negative, then it looks like you hate the people you work with, not the work itself. If they’re positive and you’re still miserable at work, then it might be the work that’s really got you down.What would your perfect employer look like?Fantasy baseball. Describe your dream employer. What kind of work culture and benefits would you want? What kind of supervision, training, challenges appeal to you? Describing what you don’t like is a lot easier than coming up with what you actually want, but this is an important step. Now look at what you’ve come up with: are you basically describing your current company or boss? And you still hate your job? That might mean you should change careers. At least now you’ll know what sort of company to look for when you do.Have you been in this position anywhere else?If you’ve worked in your current job before, just at a different company, and you liked it, that’s a good sign that you hate your company/employer, not your job. If you’ve never liked the work- even in a company drastically different from your current one, then, well, you have your answer.If you figure out that you do, in fact, want to change careers, keep in mind that it can be a daunting process. Nobody loves change. And switching careers takes a lot of effort, time, money, and logistical prowess. If you’re sure you should, but are feeling hesitant, you might want to consider taking the leap sooner rather than later.The trick is to make sure you make a better c hoice this time around. That means doing a bit more soul searching. Here are three things to keep in mind so you’ll choose a career and job that you actually like (and will never have to go through this again).1. Pick your life, not your job.You may think you want to do a certain kind of work. You want the perks and prestige that go with it, perhaps. But look at the lives of the people in that job. Do they have them? Do they have any time to spend with family or friends? Are they fulfilled in other areas? Do they die young from excessive stress? Find a job that gives you the lifestyle you want first and foremost. That will guarantee you’ll be happier in the long term.2. Understand that the grass isn’t always greener.You may catch a rosy outside glimpse into someone else’s life in some other career, but remember that looks can be deceiving. Dig a little deeper than the veneer of what you see looking in. Find the discrepancies and complications before you s tart fantasizing about someone else’s career. Spend more time thinking about what you like, rather than what looks shiny from the outside.3. Don’t commit too fast.This is especially true if you’re early in your career. Job hopping is becoming much less stigmatized. Search around a little bit before overcommitting to one path and getting stuck. Don’t rush off to a graduate program in something you’re not sure about, for example. Make sure you like it before you invest the time and money.Just remember: ask yourself the hard questions, and follow your bliss as much as you can.