Atomic No.	Name	Symbol
57	Lanthanum	La
58	Cerium	Ce
59	Praseodymium	Pr
60	Neodymium	Nd
61	Promethium	Pm
62	Samarium	Sm
63	Europium	Eu
64	Gadolinium	Gd
65	Terbium	Tb
66	Dysprosium	Dy
67	Holmium	Ho
68	Erbium	Er
69	Thulium	Tm
70	Ytterbium	Yb

The lanthanide series is the 14 rare earth chemical elements which lie between lanthanum and ytterbium on the periodic table. That is, they have atomic numbers between 57 and 70 inclusive. Below them are the actinides.

Lanthanides are elements in which the f orbitals are partly or completely filled, while the outermost p and d orbitals are empty. Since the f orbitals do not have as much effect on chemistry as the s, p, and d orbitals, lanthanide series elements are chemically similar to each other.

The lanthanides are typically placed below the main body of the periodic table in the manner of a footnote. The full-width version of the periodic table shows the position of the lanthanides more clearly.

External links

• USGS Rare Earths Statistics and Information (http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/rare_earths/)

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