Thulium (Noun)
Meaning
A soft silvery metallic element of the rare earth group; isotope 170 emits X-rays and is used in small portable X-ray machines; it occurs in monazite and apatite and xenotime.
Classification
Nouns denoting substances.
Examples
- Thulium has several applications in X-ray technology and portable medical imaging devices due to its isotope's ability to emit X-rays.
- The chemical element thulium occurs naturally in the minerals monazite, apatite, and xenotime, making these minerals useful sources of this rare earth metal.
- Thulium is often extracted from its naturally occurring minerals using complex chemical separation processes due to its rarity and difficult separation from other elements.
- The isotope thulium-170 has been found to have potential applications in the medical field for the production of portable X-ray devices.
- As a member of the rare earth group, thulium exhibits characteristic physical and chemical properties, such as a soft silvery color, but its rarity makes it challenging to obtain.