|Origin of Name
||From Lutetia, the ancient name of Paris
|Date and Place of Discovery
||In 1907 and 1908 in Paris, France
Carl Auer von Welsbach
- It is not found free in nature, but is found with other
rare earth metals.
- It is the heaviest and hardest of all the rare earth metals.
- It is fairly resistant to corrosion and is stable in air.
- It has a low toxicity, but it is recommended to handle it with care.
- The metal dust from it can be a fire and explosion hazard.
- It is not needed by the human body, but it is thought to boost metabolism.
- It is very expensive to produce any useful quantity.