Lanthanum Sputtering Targets (La)

Lanthanum is a soft, ductile, silvery-white metallic chemical element with the symbol La and atomic number 57. It rapidly tarnishes when exposed to air and is soft enough to be cut with a knife. It is the Lanthanide series's eponym, a group of 15 similar elements between Lanthanum and Lutetium in the periodic table. Lanthanum is the first and the prototype. It is also sometimes considered the first element of the 6th-period transition metals and is traditionally counted among the rare earth elements. The normal oxidation state is +3. Lanthanum has no biological role in humans but is essential to some bacteria. It is not particularly toxic to humans but does show some antimicrobial activity.