%0 Journal Article
%T On the History of Discovery of the Rare-Earth Elements
%A Karas, Marcin
%J Quarterly Journal of the History of Science and Technology
%V 2020
%R 10.4467/0023589XKHNT.20.030.12863
%N Volume 65, Issue 4
%P 101-121
%K philosophy of science, history of chemistry, lanthanides, rare-earth elements, transition metals, biographies of chemists
%@ 0023-589X
%D 2020
%U https://ejournals.eu/en/journal/kwartalnik-historii-nauki-i-techniki/article/z-historii-odkrycia-pierwiastkow-ziem-rzadkich
%X With reference to the existing literature, the article reviews the history of discovering rare-earth elements (lanthanides) from the late 18th to the mid-20th century. By outlining the main stages of this story, the author analyzes biographies of chemists, presents the geography of discoveries and the development of analytical methods in inorganic chemistry. The text also mentions the scientific errors and disputes between scholars. From the perspective of the philosophy of science, this history is an important example of the mutual relationship between empirical knowledge and its theoretical justification in science.