The lanthanide series of elements is interesting because the 4f levels that are getting filled are actually physically closer to the nucleus than the outer orbitals, so their chemical properties are very similar between elements. That also makes them hard to separate from one another.
Unless there is a special Norwegian process for this separation, I am not sure this announcement will mean much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanthanide
The lanthanide series of elements is interesting because the 4f levels that are getting filled are actually physically closer to the nucleus than the outer orbitals, so their chemical properties are very similar between elements. That also makes them hard to separate from one another.
Unless there is a special Norwegian process for this separation, I am not sure this announcement will mean much.