Samples Containing Thorium or Uranium

Overview

Uranium (U) and Thorium (Th) are considered "Rare Earth" (RE) elements. More specifically, Th and U are members of the actinide series, which are elements following actinium, i.e., starting with atomic number 90. Although considered RE elements, Th and U have a chemistry that does not closely resemble the lanthanides. Rather, these two elements have a rather unique chemistry and cannot be said to closely resemble any other particular group of elements. In some respects they behave like the RE elements and in others their chemistry is more like that of Hf, Ta, and W.

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