Lanthanum Oxide

Rare Earth Oxides

Lanthanum Oxide, chemically represented as La₂O₃, is a pivotal inorganic compound in the rare earth oxide family, celebrated for its abundance among rare earth materials and versatile performance across industries. Unlike some Rare Earth Oxides with variable valence states, lanthanum in La₂O₃ maintains a stable +3 oxidation state, ensuring consistent chemical behavior—this stability is a cornerstone of its reliability in applications ranging from electronics to ceramics.

Commercially, Lanthanum Oxide is categorized into grades based on purity and use cases. High-Purity Grade, with a purity of ≥99.99% (4N) and even ultra-high variants reaching 99.999% (5N), is tailored for advanced fields like electronics and optics. It undergoes strict purification to eliminate trace impurities such as other rare earth metals (cerium, neodymium), heavy metals (iron, copper), and anions (chloride, sulfate), as these can disrupt the performance of high-precision devices. Technical Grade, with 95.0%–99.0% purity, prioritizes cost-effectiveness for industrial uses like ceramic production and catalyst preparation. Reagent Grade, meeting ≥99.0% purity standards, is used in laboratories for research, analytical chemistry, and small-scale synthesis, ensuring accurate experimental results. At standard temperature and pressure, Lanthanum Oxide appears as a white to off-white crystalline powder or dense solid; its pale color stems from the uniform atomic arrangement of lanthanum and oxygen, which minimally absorbs visible light, making it easy to distinguish from colored rare earth oxides.

Physically, Lanthanum Oxide exhibits traits that suit diverse processes. Its powder form, with particle sizes typically 100–500 mesh, facilitates mixing, dissolution, or sintering. It has a molecular weight of 325.81 g/mol, a high melting point of ~2315°C, and a boiling point of ~4200°C—these extreme temperature resistances make it ideal for refractory materials. With a solid density of ~6.51 g/cm³, it offers stability in structural applications. It is insoluble in water but dissolves in strong acids (hydrochloric, nitric) to form lanthanum salts, a key property for wet chemical synthesis. It also has good thermal conductivity (~3.8 W/(m·K) at room temperature) and low thermal expansion, ensuring dimensional stability under temperature fluctuations. Optically, it is transparent in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, with a refractive index of ~1.85 in the visible range, enhancing the performance of optical glasses and coatings.

Chemically, Lanthanum Oxide’s high stability is its defining feature. The strong ionic bond between lanthanum and oxygen resists reactions with most organic compounds, non-metals, and inorganic substances at room temperature, preventing oxidation or reduction under normal conditions. However, it reacts with strong acids to form soluble salts—for example, with hydrochloric acid, it produces lanthanum chloride and water (La₂O₃ + 6HCl → 2LaCl₃ + 3H₂O), a reaction used in chemical preparation and analytical testing. It is moderately hygroscopic, absorbing moisture to form lanthanum hydroxide (La(OH)₃) in high humidity, requiring proper storage. At temperatures above 800°C, it reacts with carbon dioxide to form lanthanum carbonate (La₂(CO₃)₃), so it is often calcined before use in high-purity applications. Additionally, it acts as a catalyst or support in reactions like hydrocarbon oxidation and NOₓ reduction, thanks to its ability to provide active sites for reactant interactions.

The industrial production of Lanthanum Oxide starts with rare earth ores—monazite and bastnäsite, which contain 20%–30% lanthanum. First, ore digestion extracts rare earth elements: monazite (phosphate-based) is treated with concentrated sulfuric acid at 200–300°C to convert insoluble phosphates to soluble sulfates, removing silica and thorium as precipitates; bastnäsite (fluoride-carbonate-based) uses sulfuric or hydrochloric acid at 150–250°C, releasing CO₂ and forming sulfates, with impurities filtered out after leaching. Next, separation and purification use solvent extraction—organic extractants (TBP, P507) isolate lanthanum ions at pH 2–4, transferring them to an organic phase, which is then stripped with dilute acid to get a pure lanthanum solution. Ion exchange chromatography is used for ultra-high purity (5N+). Then, precipitation forms insoluble lanthanum compounds: ammonium hydroxide adjusts pH to 8–9 to precipitate lanthanum hydroxide (La³⁺ + 3OH⁻ → La(OH)₃↓), or oxalic acid forms lanthanum oxalate (2La³⁺ + 3H₂C₂O₄ + nH₂O → La₂(C₂O₄)₃·nH₂O↓ + 6H⁺); both precipitates are filtered, washed, and dried. Finally, calcination decomposes the precursors: lanthanum hydroxide is heated to 800–1000°C (2La(OH)₃ → La₂O₃ + 3H₂O↑), and lanthanum oxalate to 1000–1200°C (La₂(C₂O₄)₃ → La₂O₃ + 3CO↑ + 3CO₂↑). The resulting oxide is cooled, crushed, screened, and packaged by grade.

Lanthanum Oxide’s applications span key industries. In electronics, high-purity grades act as high-k dielectrics in CMOS transistors (reducing gate leakage) and modify barium titanate ceramics for high-performance capacitors. In optics, it boosts the refractive index and Abbe number of optical glasses (reducing chromatic aberration for lenses) and makes IR-transparent ceramics for thermal imaging. In ceramics and refractories, it lowers sintering temperatures (e.g., from 1600°C to 1300–1400°C for alumina ceramics) and resists high temperatures in furnaces and rocket engines. In catalysis, it enhances automotive exhaust catalysts (stabilizing noble metals) and aids petrochemical reactions (hydrocarbon cracking) and VOC removal. In energy storage, it improves lithium-ion battery electrodes (reducing lattice distortion) and forms LaNi₅-based alloys for nickel-metal hydride batteries in HEVs.

Safety-wise, Lanthanum Oxide has low toxicity but requires careful handling. Inhalation of its dust irritates the respiratory tract (causing coughing or shortness of breath), and skin/eye contact leads to irritation. To mitigate risks, wear nitrile gloves, safety goggles, a lab coat, and a dust mask. Store it in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area in airtight containers, away from acids and moisture. For spills, sweep dry powder into hazardous waste or neutralize liquid with a base before cleaning. In case of exposure, rinse skin/eyes with water for 15 minutes, move inhaled individuals to fresh air, and seek medical help if needed. When stored properly (15–25°C,<50% humidity), it has a 2–3 year shelf life; expired oxide may show clumping or reduced activity and should be tested before use.

Descriptive:  WNX employs advanced automated production technology and uses high-quality raw materials to produce high-qualityLanthanum Oxide.

Key Features:

High Purity:Lanthanum Oxide contains no impurities from rare earth elements (such as iron, calcium, sodium), and the impurity content is low.

Good Solubility:Lanthanum Oxide can dissolve rapidly in water and strong acids.

Consistency: The strict batch management in the production ofLanthanum Oxide ensures stable quality for industrial large-scale production.

Optical glass and ceramics: Lanthanum oxide is the core raw material for manufacturing precision optical glass and optical fibers, significantly enhancing the refractive index and dispersion properties of the glass. It is widely used in the production of advanced optical lenses for cameras and microscopes. In the field of electronic ceramics, it is used as an additive to manufacture ceramic capacitors and piezoelectric ceramics to improve the electrical properties and temperature stability of the materials.

Catalyst: In the petrochemical industry, lanthanum oxide is used as an important component of catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts, which helps increase the output and quality of gasoline. It can also serve as a catalyst for specific chemical reactions, such as the oxidation of carbon monoxide and the reaction of methane oxidation to form ethane and ethylene.

Functional materials: Lanthanum oxide is the raw material for preparing lanthanum boride (LaB₆), which is an excellent thermoelectronic emission cathode material. Lanthanum oxide also has important applications in fields such as hydrogen storage materials and fuel cells. For example, lanthanum-nickel alloys can be used for hydrogen storage.

1.Neutral labels/packaging (jumbo bag of 1.000kg each net),Two bags per pallet.

2.Vacuum-sealed, then wrapped in air cushion bags, and finally packed into iron drums.

Drum: Steel drums (open-top, 45L capacity, dimensions: φ365mm × 460mm / inner diameter × outer height).

Weight per Drum: 50 kg

Palletization: 18 drums per pallet (total 900 kg/pallet).

Transport Class: Maritime transportation / Air transportation

Custom packaging available upon request