The expert named the rarest metal in the world

Synthesized californium is the rarest metal in the world. This was announced on April 26 by Evgeny Vishnevsky, an expert of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) on new materials and technologies.

"If we consider all metals as a whole, including those synthesized by humans, then the absolute record holder for rarity is californium... If we talk about natural, stable metals that can be extracted from the earth's interior, then osmium holds the palm," Vishnevsky told RIA Novosti.

The expert explained that californium is artificially synthesized in nuclear reactors, which are located only in Russia and the United States, it is widely used in radiation therapy and in the study of metals. The agency's interlocutor stressed that this metal is measured in small quantities due to the highly complex and high-tech production procedure. According to him, due to its rare origin, the price of california can reach several tens of millions of dollars per gram.

Vishnevsky said that osmium, the rarest natural metal, is mined in very small quantities in South Africa, Russia, the USA, Canada and Kazakhstan as an impurity in platinum, nickel and copper ores. Osmium and its alloys are used to make jet engine parts, fountain pen tips, turntable needles, and surgical instruments. The expert noted that the cost of this metal can vary from $1.5 thousand to $10 thousand per gram, depending on its purity and isotope.

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Where are they used and what does it mean for the economy

Antonina Levashenko, Head of the Gaidar Institute's Laboratory for the Analysis of Best International Practices, said on April 25 that Russia is the only country in the world that produces baddeleyite concentrate, which is indispensable in high-temperature technologies. She noted that it is used in the manufacture of refractory materials as protective structures, as well as for ceramics and foundry production.