This digital collection features materials related to rare earth elements, a group of 17 elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides. These abundant elements, characterized by similar geochemical and magnetic properties, are mined for a variety of uses including magnets, alloys, glasses, and electronics. The diverse collection of materials found below demonstrates the range of uses for rare earths throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Browse the topic to find materials related to fine art, lasers, cathode ray tube televisions, the first incandescent lights, and more!
-
4 items
Mine Vessel
- 2022
An erbium and glass cast of Mountain Pass Mine by artist, Anna Mlasowsky (1984- ). The Mountain Pass Mine is an open-pit mine of rare-earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range in California. In 2020…
- Artist Mlasowsky, Anna, 1984-
- Subject Glass art, Erbium, Rare earths, Mlasowsky, Anna, 1984-, Rare earth industry
-
3 items
Oral history interview with Ronald D. Macfarlane
- 2011-May-26
Ronald Macfarlane was born in Buffalo, New York, the oldest of three children. An excellent teacher in high school sparked his interest in chemistry, and Macfarlane attended the University of Buffalo, majoring in…
-
First Day Cover commemorating Xu Guangxian
- 2009-Nov-07
Cachet, postmark, and stamp depicting rare earth chemist Xu Guangxian (1920-2015). Xu, also known as Kwang-hsien Hsu, was a Chinese chemist who held various positions in the Department of Chemistry at Peking University.…
-
3 items
Rare earths sliding puzzle
- 1970s – 1980
Square slide puzzle with white frame and 15 orange sliding pieces. Sliding pieces have the chemical symbols for the rare earth elements printed on them. Printed on bottom edge of frame is "Union Molycorp."
- Manufacturer Molycorp, Inc.
- Subject Rare earths, Puzzles
-
Rare-earth magnets: Making their strong attraction more attractive.
- 1978
Color advertisement for the General Motor Research Laboratories. The advertisement includes three graphics: an artistic rendering of a motor or magnet cross-section, a photograph of a curved pole magnet, and a graph…
- Creator Of Work General Motors Corporation
- Contributor General Motors Corporation. Research Laboratories
- Subject General Motors Corporation, General Motors Corporation. Research Laboratories, Rare earths, Rare earth metals--Magnetic properties, Magnets, Magnetism, Electric motors, Automobiles--Motors
-
Rare earths for better magnets
- 1970
Color print advertisement from the Research and Development Unit of Bell Laboratories. A cartoon image of a large magnet attracting a steam locomotive car, lifting it from the ground, occupies the upper half of the…
-
Fishing with a Green Laser
- 1969
Color print advertisement for Sylvania General Telephone and Electronics Company depicting the trajectory of green laser lights reflecting off of a school of fish. The advertisement text describes the company's…
- Creator Of Work GTE Sylvania Incorporated
- Subject Nd-YAG lasers, Lasers, GTE Sylvania Incorporated, Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., Rare earths, Electrooptics, Solid-state lasers
-
We crucible tested over 50,000 phosphors last year. Any one of them might solve a problem for you.
- 1967
Black and white print advertisement for Sylvania Electric Products, Inc. The advertisement features images of a picture tube, a solid-state electroluminescent display, and a larger image of several picture tube screens…
-
RCA rare-earth Hi-Lite Color TV Picture Tubes for every smart customer who wants a superior color picture
- 1966
Color print advertisement for RCA rare-earth Hi-Lite Color Television Picture Tubes. The advertisement includes several images of the picture tubes as well as the product packaging. The text describes RCA's Hi-Lite…
-
On Stream! New process makes rare earths available at lower cost
- 1965
Black and white print advertisement for the Molybdenum Corporation of America, known today as Molycorp, Inc. The advertisement includes an image of Molycorp's mining plant in Mountain Pass, California, with a smaller…
-
How Can a Rose be a Rose be a Rose on Color TV?
- 1964
Color print advertisement for The Sylvania Color Bright 85 picture tube. The advertisement features an image of a picture tube next to a bouquet of roses, with one rose suspended in the center of the screen. The text…
-
2 items
Series table with rare earth elements placed in two series
- 1932 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements designed as a series table with eight groups and three subgroups in which the rare earth elements are placed in two series. This table was originated by…
-
2 items
Series table with rare earth elements placed in one series
- 1955 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements designed as a series table with eight groups and three subgroups in which the rare earth elements are placed in one series. This table was originated by…
- Creator Of Work Mazurs, Edward G.
- Subject Scientific illustration, Periodic table of the elements, Periodic law, Chemical elements, Rare earths
-
2 items
Series table of representative elements with supplementary tabulations for transitional and rare earth elements
- 1927 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements consisting of a series table of representative elements with supplementary tabulations for transitional and rare earth elements. These tables were…
-
2 items
Periodic table in style of helix and space lemniscate with two additional loops for rare earth elements
- 1905 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Top and perspective views of a graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements in the style of a helix and space lemniscate with two additional loops for the rare earth elements. This table was…
-
2 items
Periodic table in style of helix and space lemniscate with two additional loops for rare earth elements
- 1905 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Top and perspective views of a graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements in the style of a helix and space lemniscate with two additional loops for the rare earth elements. This table was…
-
2 items
Periodic table in style of helix and space lemniscate with additional loop for rare earth elements
- 1900 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Top and perspective views of a graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements in the style of a helix and space lemniscate with an additional loop for the rare earth elements. This table was…
- Creator Of Work Schirmeisen, Karl, Mazurs, Edward G.
- Subject Scientific illustration, Periodic table of the elements, Periodic law, Chemical elements, Rare earths
-
2 items
Periodic table in style of helix and space lemniscate with additional loop for rare earth elements
- 1900 (Original design)
- Circa 1957 (Date attributed to slide)
Top and perspective views of a graphic representation of the periodic table of chemical elements in the style of a helix and space lemniscate with an additional loop for the rare earth elements. This table was…
- Creator Of Work Schirmeisen, Karl, Mazurs, Edward G.
- Subject Scientific illustration, Periodic table of the elements, Periodic law, Chemical elements, Rare earths
-
Letter from Robert S. Mulliken to J. Bousquet
- 1938-Dec-06
Concerns modifications to the International Table of Isotopes for 1939.
- Addressee Bousquet, J.
- Author Mulliken, Robert Sanderson
- Contributor International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
- Subject Isotopes, Aston, Francis William, 1877-1945, Mulliken, Robert Sanderson, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Lutetium, Dempster, Arthur Jeffrey, Nobel Prize winners
-
47 items
Set of Postcards depicting the Welsbach Factory in Gloucester, New Jersey
- 1890 – 1930
This set of postcards depicts the scenes from the Welsbach Incandescent Gas Lighting Company factory at Gloucester, New Jersey. Originally a set of 46 postcards, this collection is missing cards number 20 and 31. The…
- Contributor Welsbach Gas Light Company
- Subject Welsbach Gas Light Company, Employees, Incandescent gas-lighting, Incandescent gas-lighting--Fixtures, Lighting, Rare earth industry, Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929, Women employees, Rare earths, Machinery in the workplace, Machinery
-
24 items
Reflex Inverted Gas Light Catalog
- 1890 – 1930
Welsbach aimed its Reflex line at the middle of the gas mantle market, priced below its Welco line but above its biggest selling models like the Number 4 mantle. Images in this catalog illustrate Welsbach's imagined…
- Creator Of Work Welsbach Gas Light Company
- Subject Welsbach Gas Light Company, Incandescent gas-lighting, Incandescent gas-lighting--Fixtures, Rare earth industry, Rare earths, Advertising, Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929, Gas-lighting, Interior lighting, Interior lighting--Design
-
6 items
No. 4 Inverted Mantle with No. 8 Magnesia Ring
- 1890 – 1930
Unused Welsbach No. 4 Inverted Mantle and No. 8 Magnesia Ring in its original cardboard box from Lindsay Light and Chemical Company.
The Welsbach gas mantle is a device made of fibers impregnated with oxides of cerium…
- Creator Of Work Welsbach Gas Light Company
- Contributor Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929
- Subject Lighting--Equipment and supplies, Incandescent lamps, Auer v. Welsbach, Carl (Auer von Welsbach), 1858-1929, Gas-lighting, Incandescent gas-lighting, Rare earth industry, Welsbach Gas Light Company, Rare earths
-
2 items
Carl Auer von Welsbach Cigarette Trading Card
- 1890 – 1930
Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach (1858-1929) was a key figure in the history of rare earth elements. In 1885 he showed didymium was not an element, but an alloy of two elements that he named praseodymium and…
-
Welsbach Tip Tray
- 1920s
A single-sided tin lithograph tip tray. This circular green plate features a scene of a seated woman reading a newspaper with a child playing at her feet. The child has spelled out "WELSBACH" using toys on the floor. A…
-
55 items
Welsbach Gas Light Company photograph album
- 1920s
Album containing 52 black and white photographs documenting various aspects of the production process at the Welsbach Gas Light Company site located along the Delaware River in Gloucester City, New Jersey. From 1888 to…
