American Elements

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American Elements
Private
Industry Basic Materials
Founded 1997
Founder Michael Silver
Headquarters Los Angeles, California, United States
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Chemicals and Metals
Website www.americanelements.com

American Elements is a global manufacturer and distributor of the elements on the periodic table with a 10,000 page online compendium of information on the properties and uses of the elements.[1] The company's headquarters and educational programs are based in Los Angeles, California. Its research and production facilities are located in Salt Lake City, Utah; Monterrey, Mexico; Baotou, China; and Manchester, UK.[2]

History

American Elements began as a toll chemical manufacturer and refiner serving U.S. mining companies by producing metal based chemicals from their deposits. In 1998, its two largest customers, the Unocal/Molycorp rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California and the Rhodia rare earth refinery in Freeport, Texas closed, ending domestic U.S. rare earth production. In response, the company established mining joint ventures in Inner Mongolia, China and in 1999 became one of the first post cold war companies to export rare earth metals from China to the U.S. and Europe.[3]

Over the following decade the company expanded operations to include production of all elements on the periodic table and established educational programs, scholarships and scientific conferences to educate the public on the properties and applications of the elements. In 2001, it founded its website which is a compendium of information on the periodic table, the elements and the uses of advanced materials.[1]

Product Lines

The advanced materials manufactured by the company include:

Discoveries

The company has made several new discoveries in materials science. These include:

  • Gadolinium nitrate made with heavy water ( Gd(NO3)3 • 2H20 ) for use as a neutron "getter" during nuclear reactor maintenance
  • A rare earth compound used as a dry film lubricant at extremely high temperatures and pressures
  • A nanoscale "quick dissolve" powder used in pharmaceuticals
  • Iridium parts for the jewelry industry, most notably pure iridium rings and wedding bands[4][5]

Educational Programs

In 2006, the company established the not-for-profit American Elements Academics & Periodicals Department. The department provides information on (1) the ways elemental advanced materials are used,[6] (2) global issues effecting the mining and production of the elements[7] such as Sino-American relations,[8] and (3) ways to improve the teaching of science at all grade levels.[3] Since its founding, the department has sponsored approximately 320 conferences on materials science, the elements, mining, and physics. In 2011, it co-sponsored, along with the National Science Foundation, a four-part PBS Nova television series on materials science called "Making Stuff". The department promotes improved transparency in global metal markets.[9] It believes future global rare earth prices tend to move upward or downward in reaction to China’s then projected GDP (gross domestic product).[10][11] The company publishes an annual Endangered Elements List naming that year's top 5 elements that due their geopolitical scarcity pose a threat to the future of American high technology manufacturing.[12]

Selected Business Units

References

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External links

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