Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
lanthanide
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quizzes
Periodic Table of the elements concept image (chemistry)
Facts You Should Know: The Periodic Table Quiz
Periodic table of the elements. Left column indicates the subshells that are being filled as atomic number Z increases. The body of the table shows element symbols and Z. analysis and measurement
Periodic Table of the Elements
Discover
John F. Kennedy as a boy with his family
What Did We Call America’s Elite Before the “1 Percent”?
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?

lanthanide

chemistry
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/lanthanide
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: lanthanoid
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Also called:
lanthanoid

lanthanide, any of the series of 15 consecutive chemical elements in the periodic table from lanthanum to lutetium (atomic numbers 57–71). With scandium and yttrium, they make up the rare-earth metals. Their atoms have similar configurations and similar physical and chemical behaviour; the most common valences are 3 and 4. These elements are also called the lanthanoid elements. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the international body in charge of chemical nomenclature, prefers the term lanthanoid, since the -ide ending is usually reserved for negatively charged ions; however, the term lanthanide remains the more widely used word.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Erik Gregersen.