The group 3 dilemma

Rare earth metals, conceptual image - Index

Source: © Science Photo Library

Lanthanum and actinium, or lutetium and lawrencium? Time to pick a side

Many periodic tables leave the sixth and seventh rows of group 3 undefined, labeled only ‘La–Lu’ and ‘Ac–Lr’. Others assign those two positions instead to Lu and Lr, with La and Ac now in the f block. A few, such as the Royal Society of Chemistry’s, keep La and Ac in the group 3 column while identifying only Sc and Y as truly belonging to the group. This doesn’t seem terribly satisfactory. The periodic table is widely considered chemistry’s prize exhibit: the most elegant condensation of all chemical lore. So what’s the answer?