Preparation of lanthanum and cerium metals by hydrometallurgy

Abstract

Lanthanum and cerium metals were prepared by electrolytic synthesis of amalgams in aqueous solutions followed by the thermal decomposition. The amalgamation yields were almost quantitative. The preparation yield of lanthanide metals, however, deteriorated during thermal decomposition due to a density difference between lanthanide and mercury. The gaseous impurities in the prepared metals were found to be comparable with those in commercially available ones.