Praseodymium (etc.) Trivia Question(s)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the historical isolation of the element praseodymium, along with related inquiries about the isolation of other rare earth elements such as neodymium, samarium, europium, and gadolinium. Participants seek to clarify the names and years associated with the first isolation of these elements, expressing frustration over inconsistent sources.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions who first isolated praseodymium in 1931, noting a lack of consistent sources for the isolation of various elements.
  • Another participant provides a link to a Wikipedia page, suggesting that Carl Auer von Welsbach isolated praseodymium in 1885, not 1931.
  • A different reply clarifies that Welsbach discovered praseodymium and neodymium from didymium but did not produce a pure sample of metallic praseodymium until later.
  • Participants express difficulty in finding reliable information about the first isolation of neodymium in 1925 and other elements, including promethium, samarium, europium, and gadolinium.
  • One participant mentions technetium's isolation in 1962 by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda, expressing frustration over the lack of information about these individuals.
  • Another participant suggests that online resources like Google and Wikipedia can provide information on the isolation of elements.
  • A later post references a book, "Nature's Building Blocks," which states that a pure sample of metallic praseodymium was first produced in 1931.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the timeline and details surrounding the isolation of praseodymium and other elements. There is no consensus on the correct information, and multiple competing views remain regarding the historical details.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in available sources and the challenges of verifying historical claims about element isolation. There are unresolved questions about the exact years and individuals involved in the isolation of various elements.

questar
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Who first isolated praseodymium in 1931?

To date, I've been unable to find a single source that consistently provides names and years or both for the first isolation of every element. Thus far I've names and years of the first recorded isolations of each element up to praseodymium (carbon, sulfur, iron, copper, silver and tin notwithstanding). But I've hit a wall and all I can find is a year.

Now I see the same problem with neodymium, that apparently was isolated in 1925.
So who first isolated neodymium in 1925?

Promethium was first isolated by Jacob Marinsky, Lawrence Glendenin and Charles Coryell of America in 1945. O.K, but what about samarium, europium and gadolinium, etc. In addition, if anybody can provide a source such as "the history of pure elements" (which isn't a real source), I for one would be grateful.

By the way, technetium was first isolated in the Belgian Congo by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda in 1962. This was a pain to find and I don't know anything else about these two as I suppose wiki didn't think being the first to isolate a rare element is worthy of a wiki page. Thank you.
 
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questar said:
Who first isolated praseodymium in 1931?

To date, I've been unable to find a single source that consistently provides names and years or both for the first isolation of every element. Thus far I've names and years of the first recorded isolations of each element up to praseodymium (carbon, sulfur, iron, copper, silver and tin notwithstanding). But I've hit a wall and all I can find is a year.

Now I see the same problem with neodymium, that apparently was isolated in 1925.
So who first isolated neodymium in 1925?

Promethium was first isolated by Jacob Marinsky, Lawrence Glendenin and Charles Coryell of America in 1945. O.K, but what about samarium, europium and gadolinium, etc. In addition, if anybody can provide a source such as "the history of pure elements" (which isn't a real source), I for one would be grateful.

By the way, technetium was first isolated in the Belgian Congo by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda in 1962. This was a pain to find and I don't know anything else about these two as I suppose wiki didn't think being the first to isolate a rare element is worthy of a wiki page. Thank you.

You know, Google and Wiki are your friends here. You can find a lot of information online about when the pure forms of various elements were isolated and in most cases who was first to do so.
 
Borek said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Auer_von_Welsbach, 1885, not 1931.

Welsbach discovered praseodymium and neodymium from Mosander's "didymium" when he separared them in the form of their oxides... a pure sample of metallic praseodymium was was not produced in 1931, not 1885.
 
SteamKing said:
You know, Google and Wiki are your friends here. You can find a lot of information online about when the pure forms of various elements were isolated and in most cases who was first to do so.

questar said:
Who first isolated praseodymium in 1931?

To date, I've been unable to find a single source that consistently provides names and years or both for the first isolation of every element. Thus far I've names and years of the first recorded isolations of each element up to praseodymium (carbon, sulfur, iron, copper, silver and tin notwithstanding). But I've hit a wall and all I can find is a year.

Now I see the same problem with neodymium, that apparently was isolated in 1925.
So who first isolated neodymium in 1925?

Promethium was first isolated by Jacob Marinsky, Lawrence Glendenin and Charles Coryell of America in 1945. O.K, but what about samarium, europium and gadolinium, etc. In addition, if anybody can provide a source such as "the history of pure elements" (which isn't a real source), I for one would be grateful.

By the way, technetium was first isolated in the Belgian Congo by B.T. Kenna and P.K. Kuroda in 1962. This was a pain to find and I don't know anything else about these two as I suppose wiki didn't think being the first to isolate a rare element is worthy of a wiki page. Thank you.

Just a little disrespectful... assuming of course that the word "disrespectful" is not an absolute adjective.
 
A couple of good places to start for those that care to know.

http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/content/elements.html
... and the book entitled "Nature's Building Blocks" by John Emsley that states "A pure sample of metallic praseodymium was first produced in 1931." Praseodymium is a metal.
 
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