A team of scientists has developed a new method for extracting specific central lanthanide elements from a mixture of rare-earth elements. The method uses charged salts to selectively bind to the lanthanide elements, which can then be separated from the other elements in the mixture.

The lanthanide elements are a group of 15 elements that are all very similar in their chemical properties. This makes it difficult to separate them from each other, and as a result, they are often found together in ores. The new method developed by the scientists could make it possible to more easily extract individual lanthanide elements from these ores, which could have a significant impact on the production of rare-earth magnets, phosphors, and other materials.

The scientists tested their new method on a mixture of lanthanide elements that included europium, gadolinium, and terbium. They were able to selectively extract each of these elements from the mixture using charged salts. The method was also able to extract specific isotopes of each element, which could be useful for certain applications.

The scientists believe that their new method could be used to extract other lanthanide elements from mixtures, and they are currently working on scaling up the process so that it can be used on a commercial scale.

Key Findings:

* Scientists have developed a new method for extracting specific central lanthanide elements from a mixture of rare-earth elements.

* The method uses charged salts to selectively bind to the lanthanide elements, which can then be separated from the other elements in the mixture.

* The new method could make it possible to more easily extract individual lanthanide elements from ores, which could have a significant impact on the production of rare-earth magnets, phosphors, and other materials.