updating my research on rare earth companies...so in case anyone is wondering what some of these elements are used for

Little-Known, Rare Earths… Critical to Everyday Life

The term “rare earths” comes from the fact that the minerals that contain these unusual elements were quite rare when first found in Ytterby, Sweden.

And occupying slots 21, 39 and 57-71 in the periodic table of the elements, here are a few of the most commonly used “rare earths”…

• Cerium is the most abundant of the “rare earths.” It’s found in automobile catalytic converters and other pollution control equipment. And it helps to reduce sulfur oxide emissions. It’s also added to diesel fuel to help it burn better.
• Neodymium is used in magnets to make the magnetic field incredibly strong. Cell phones, computers and audio speakers wouldn’t exist without neodymium magnets. And miniature motors wouldn’t be possible at all without it.
• Holmium has the greatest magnetic strength of any element, and is used in medical and dental lasers and nuclear control rods. It’s also a colorant for glass.
• Dysprosium’s magnetic strength properties make it a useful material for certain lasers, fuel injectors for diesel engines, compact discs, and other various data storage applications.
• Thulium is one of the rarest and most expensive of the “rare earth” metals. It has unique properties that make it ideal for laser-based surgical tools.
• Yttrium is primarily utilized to make red phosphors for use in red LED’s and superconductors.
• Europium is a key ingredient in certain types of lasers and is a part of the chemical process to screen for Down’s Syndrome.
• Erbium is a silvery white metal created for use in photographic filters and as a coloring agent in cheap sunglasses and jewelry. It’s also a key element in optical amplifiers widely used in fiber-optic communications systems.