鑭並不單獨存在於自然界中,通常伴隨著鈰等其他稀土元素一同出現。1839年,鑭首次由瑞典化學家卡爾·古斯塔夫·莫桑德(英語:Carl Gustav Mosander)在硝酸鈰的雜質中發現,以古希臘文λανθάνειν(lanthanein,意為「隱藏」)命名。雖然鑭被歸類為稀土元素,但鑭在地殼中元素豐度的排名為第28,幾乎是鉛的三倍。在獨居石和氟碳鈰礦(英語:Bastnäsite)等稀土礦物中,鑭約佔鑭系元素總含量的四分之一,是含量第三多的鑭系及稀土元素[4]。由於稀土元素彼此間的化學性質極度相似,分離的過程非常複雜而困難,因此直到1923年科學家才成功提取出純鑭金屬。
歷史上,鑭的第一個用處是煤氣燈紗罩(英語:gas mantle)。卡爾·奧爾·馮·威爾斯巴赫(英語:Carl Auer von Welsbach)使用氧化鑭和二氧化鋯的混合物(他稱之為Actinophor)來做煤氣罩,並於1886年獲得專利。最初製成的煤氣罩燃燒後發出了綠色的光芒,以照明用途來說並不是很成功。他的第一家公司於1887年在阿茨格斯多夫(英語:Atzgersdorf)建立了一家工廠,但在1889年失敗而倒閉。之後馮·威爾斯巴赫於1891年研發出了以二氧化釷為材料的新型煤氣罩並大獲成功,一度成為多年間歐洲各國的主要照明設備。[41]
釔和所有的鑭系元素(Ce和Pm除外)在雙(1,3,5-三三級丁基苯)的錯合物中展示了0氧化態,見 Cloke, F. Geoffrey N. Zero Oxidation State Compounds of Scandium, Yttrium, and the Lanthanides. Chem. Soc. Rev. 1993, 22: 17–24. doi:10.1039/CS9932200017. 和Arnold, Polly L.; Petrukhina, Marina A.; Bochenkov, Vladimir E.; Shabatina, Tatyana I.; Zagorskii, Vyacheslav V.; Cloke. Arene complexation of Sm, Eu, Tm and Yb atoms: a variable temperature spectroscopic investigation. Journal of Organometallic Chemistry. 2003-12-15, 688 (1–2): 49–55. doi:10.1016/j.jorganchem.2003.08.028.
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Weeks, Mary Elvira. The Discovery of the Elements: XI. Some Elements Isolated with the Aid of Potassium and Sodium:Zirconium, Titanium, Cerium and Thorium. The Journal of Chemical Education. 1932, 9 (7): 1231–1243. Bibcode:1932JChEd...9.1231W. doi:10.1021/ed009p1231.
(Berzelius) (1839) "Nouveau métal" (New metal), Comptes rendus, 8 : 356-357. From p. 356: "L'oxide de cérium, extrait de la cérite par la procédé ordinaire, contient à peu près les deux cinquièmes de son poids de l'oxide du nouveau métal qui ne change que peu les propriétés du cérium, et qui s'y tient pour ainsi dire caché. Cette raison a engagé M. Mosander à donner au nouveau métal le nom de Lantane." (The oxide of cerium, extracted from cerite by the usual procedure, contains almost two fifths of its weight in the oxide of the new metal, which differs only slightly from the properties of cerium, and which is held in it so to speak "hidden". This reason motivated Mr. Mosander to give to the new metal the name Lantane.)
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