Preparation of Yttrium and Some Heavy Rare Earth Metals

Abstract

A method was devised for preparing massive metallic yttrium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, and thulium in high purity and high yields by reducing the rare earth chloride or fluoride with calcium metal in tantalum containers in an inert atmosphere. Ytterbium fluoride could be reduced only to the divalent state by the technique employed in this work. Estimated maximum melting points of some of these metals are given.