Element 69 · Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
Thulium
The rarest of the lanthanides aside from radioactive promethium — thulium has limited niche applications.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Tm
ATOMIC NO.
69
ATOMIC WEIGHT
168.93
CATEGORY
Lanthanide (Rare Earth)
PERIOD
Period 6
GROUP
Group 3
History
Thulium was discovered in 1879 by Per Teodor Cleve at Uppsala University by separating impurities from erbium oxide. Named after Thule, the ancient Greek and Roman name for a distant northern land (possibly Scandinavia or Iceland). It is the rarest naturally occurring lanthanide (excluding promethium which has no stable isotopes). For most of its history it had no practical applications due to its extreme rarity and the difficulty of producing it in usable quantities.
In Brief
Thulium is element 69, named after Thule (the ancient Greek name for Scandinavia). It is the second-rarest naturally occurring lanthanide.
Uses Today
Portable X-ray sources using radioactive thulium-170 isotope. Thulium-doped lasers for surgical applications. Ferrite ceramics for microwave equipment.
Why We Don't Buy It
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Thulium:
Production is limited to specialist applications. No commercial scrap market exists.
Value & Pricing
Thulium oxide trades at approximately £80–300/kg, making it among the more expensive lanthanides. Not a standard scrap material.