Rare Earth Elements

The rare-earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 lustrous silvery-white metals that are nearly indistinguishable. Occasionally, they are also known as the lanthanides (although yttrium and scandium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths because they tend to occur in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties)
The applications and demand for rare-earth elements have increased over the years. Catalysts and high-performance magnets are the two most common applications for REEs around the world. Other significant applications of rare-earth elements include the manufacture of alloys, glasses, and electronic components. Rare-earth elements are utilized extensively in hybrid and electric vehicle motors, generators in some wind turbines, hard disk drives, portable electronics, microphones, and speakers.