According to http://www.elementsales.com/pl_element.htm, it is not that
expensive ($8,400/kg in 5 g ingots); there are many other elements
costing more! Radium is about $88,000,000/kg
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30717F6395D16738DDDAA0A94D9415B858DF1D3
Brian
On 20/05/2011 23:30, David D. Hillman wrote:
> Hi folks - Here is the Friday Element Quiz Answer (I have a new book on
> the Elements by John Emsley so lots of new information for future
> quizzes).
>
> The Question:
>
> This element is the most expensive metal in the world at a staggering
> price of $75,000 per kilogram! The amount of this element contained in the
>
> ores mined for its production is typically 0.003%. The world production of
>
> this element is around 10 tons per year. What element is being described?
>
> Bonus question: This element was called by a different name for many years
>
> in Germany - what was that name?
>
>
> The Answer:
>
> The element is lutetium (Lu). Platinum is $12,800/kg and gold is
> $12,500/kg but Lu has both of them beat for cost. Lu is one of the rarest
> of the Rare Earth elements but is still 7X more abundant that silver. Lu
> is a high energy Beta particle emitter and is being studied for possible
> radiotherapy uses as the isotope has a half life of 6.75 days.
>
> The answer to the bonus question was Cassiopeia. As with many of the
> elements, there was disagreement on who discovered an element the first.
> Austrian chemist Karl Auer was working in Germany, isolated Lu from a
> sample of yttrium oxide and named it cassiopeia. However, French chemist
> George Urbain isolated Lu in 1907 and was given the naming credit. Lu is
> extremely difficult to create as a pure metal - the first time that was
> accomplished was in 1953.
>
>
> There were several good answers (Rhodium was quite popular)but Bev
> Christian, RIM, is the quiz winner and will get the services of Clumpy and
> Kloumpios for the week. They have been to Bev's facility a couple of times
> so getting there should be easy.
>
> So far Clumpy and Kloumpios have:
>
> Week 1 Lamar Young, SCS Coatings
> - accomplished nothing (drank lots of coffee)
>
> Week 2 Bev Christian, RIM
> - conducted REACH material testing
>
> Week 3 Drew Meyer, Benchmark Electronics Inc.
> - Solderability testing and mowed the lawn
>
> Week 4 Ian Fox, Goodrich
> - had an epic journey of travel
>
> Week 4 Gary Ferrari, Garrick Global
> - unknown
>
> Week 5 Fredrick Miller, Astrolab
> - unknown
>
> Week 6 David Nelson, Raytheon
> - Were tackling dummys for Dallas Cowboys
>
> Week 7 Graham Collins, L3 Communications
> - Cleaned gutters and painted window trim
>
> Week 8 Bill Noel, ITT Geospatial Systems Division
> - unknown
>
> Week 9 Steve Gregory of RD Circuits
> - unknown
>
> Week 10 David Bealer of Watchfire Signs
> - descaled the in-line wash machine! Ouch!
>
> Week 11 Dick Krug of Sparton Corporation
> - assisted with AS9100 quality management systems requirements audit
>
> Week 12 Steve Creswick of Balanced Enterprise Solutions
> - Acted as Steve's "go fer" due to a broken leg!
>
> Week 13 Gebhard Neifer, Delphi
> - conducted a plasma pre treatment Taguchi DOE for a sealing process
>
> Week 14 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with a tin pest investigation/test
>
> Week 15 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted Bev shoveling snow
>
> Week 16 David Bealer of Waatchfire Signs
> - assisted with reflow profiling
>
> Week 17 Brian Ellis, rumored to be retired
> - assisted with rewiring the house, had a tractor accident and found
> his cousin Kloumpios
>
> Week 18 Denny Fritz, SAIC
> - assisted with tin whisker inspection/examinations
>
> Week 19 Graham Collins, L3 Communications
> - assisted with scraping barnacles, boat paint and boat engine
> maintenance
>
> Week 20 Mark Woolley, PTRL Laboratory Avaya
> - assisted with weather observations (70F to snow) and resolving
> electrochemical migration failures
>
> Week 20 Tom Carroll, Boeing Defense, Space and Security
> - assisted with commercial aircraft galley inspection
>
> Week 21 Brian Ellis, supposedly retired, and Tom Carroll, Boeing Defense,
> Space and Security
> - assisted with root cause corrective action tasks
> - assisted with nothing but catching up with the family
>
> Week 22 Drew Meyer, Benchmark Electronics Inc.
> - assisted with metallographic cross-sections and Dye& Pry testing
>
> Week 23 Bev Christian, RIM
> - assisted with????????
>
> Everyone have a fun and safe weekend.
>
> Dave Hillman
> Rockwell Collins
> [log in to unmask]
>
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