Consider the following items:
1. Yttrium
2. Cerium
3. Lithium
4. Vanadium
5. Ytterbium

How many of the above are included in the list of rare-earth minerals.
(a) Only two
(b) Only three
(c) Only four
(d) All five

Question

Consider the following items:
1. Yttrium
2. Cerium
3. Lithium
4. Vanadium
5. Ytterbium

How many of the above are included in the list of rare-earth minerals.
(a) Only two
(b) Only three
(c) Only four
(d) All five

ONLiNE UPSC · Accepted Answer

Rare Earth Elements (REEs): These 17 elements are crucial in many high-tech applications, including electronics, magnets, renewable energy technologies (like wind turbines and electric vehicles), and military technologies.
Scandium (Sc), Yttrium (Y), Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Promethium (Pm), Samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), Holmium (Ho), Erbium (Er), Thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), and Lutetium (Lu).

Abundance: Although they are relatively abundant in the Earth's crust, they are not found in concentrated, easily mined deposits. Their chemical similarities make them challenging to separate and extract from ores.
China controls more than 70% of the global production of rare-earth metals. This gives China significant leverage in the global supply chain for many technologies that rely on these elements.

Hence, Only Yttrium, Cerium and Ytterbium from the above given items are rare-earth minerals. Lithium (Li) is not considered a rare-earth element. It is a part of the alkali metals group. Vanadium (is not a rare-earth element. It is a transition metal.

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