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Lanthanum

Discovered in 1839, the 57^th element – lanthanum – was named from the Greek "lanthana" meaning "to lie hidden." This silvery-white metal tarnishes rapidly in air, and lanthanum is so soft that it can be cut with a knife.

Lanthanum's applications are limited. In the metallurgical industry lanthanum is added to other elements to obtain "cleaner" products. Also, the presence of lanthanum tends to decrease the hardness of other metals, such as molybdenum. When added to steel, lanthanum not only improves malleability, it also increases the steel's impact resistance.