Lanthanum (La)
"The Hidden Lens, a hero who was hard to find but now makes vision clearer in high-tech cameras."
A memorable persona to anchor La in your mind.
6.162
Grams per cm³
920
Celsius (°C)
240
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Lanthanum is found in a high-quality camera lens.
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1839
Discovered By
Carl Gustaf Mosander
Origin of Name
"The name is derived from the Greek 'lanthanein', meaning to lie hidden."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
138.905 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
3464°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 5d16s2
1st Ionization Energy
5.577 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Lanthanum is a soft, silvery-white, ductile metal."
Did You Know?
It is the first element of the lanthanide series, a group of 15 chemically similar elements.
Adding lanthanum oxide to glass increases its refractive index and clarity with low dispersion, making it perfect for high-end camera and telescope lenses.
The metal is so soft it can be cut with a knife.
Mischmetal, a material used to make the flints in lighters, is about 25% lanthanum.