Lu

1. Introduce – Lutetium is the heaviest and hardest element among the lanthanide series, possessing the smallest ionic radius due to lanthanide contraction. It does not exist as a free element in nature but is found in trace amounts within rare-earth minerals such as monazite and xenotime. – Due to its extremely low natural abundance, the extraction of lutetium requires highly sophisticated multi-stage solvent extraction, ion-exchange chromatography, and high-temperature metallothermic reduction processes to achieve ultra-high purity levels. – High-purity lutetium oxide (Lu₂O...