Beta radiation from selected isotopes
61PmLight rare earth
Rare-earth element 61
Promethium
A radioactive element with no stable isotope, limited to highly specialised uses.
Promethium · radioisotope contextWhy it is used
The properties behind promethium applications.
No stable naturally abundant isotope
Promethium is not a natural commercial mineral product and is included here only to complete the 17-element educational context.
Typical applications
Where promethium is commonly used.
Specialised beta sources
Nuclear batteries in limited applications
Scientific instrumentation and research
Applications refer to suitable rare-earth materials, compounds or produced isotopes—not raw mineral material. Product designs and formulations vary.
Connected technologies
What the element does inside a system.
Route to use
Use begins with controlled isotope production.
- 01Nuclear production
Promethium isotopes are produced through controlled nuclear processes rather than mined as a natural commercial product.
- 02Radiochemical separation
Specialist facilities isolate and purify the required isotope from the production stream.
- 03Controlled source
The isotope is prepared to a defined specification within a regulated system.
- 04Specialised application
Qualified users integrate the controlled source into research, instrumentation or limited energy systems.
Educational context
Not a natural commercial mineral product.
Promethium · radioisotope context
Promethium has no stable isotope and is not treated as a naturally mined commercial product. It is included here so the educational experience covers the full 17-element definition of the rare-earth family, not as a Minas Americas product or analytical claim.
Return to the full matrix →Sources
Where the element and application information comes from.
Applications are representative rather than exhaustive. They describe industry uses of rare-earth materials, compounds or produced isotopes; they do not describe a product currently made by Magnes or establish that an element will be commercially recovered from Minas Americas.
- U.S. Geological Survey · Selected applications by element
- USGS · 2026 Rare Earths Mineral Commodity Summary
- USGS · 2026 Heavy Rare Earths summary · Scandium · Yttrium
- U.S. Department of Energy · Critical materials and applications
- International Energy Agency · Magnet rare earths and energy technologies
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory · Promethium context
- U.S. FDA · MRI and regulated contrast context · Lutetium-177 therapy context
- Magnes · Technical disclosure and claims boundary