2014/06/19 by Anton R. Chakhmouradian, Martin Smith, Jindřích Kynický · 2 citations
Engineering · Chemistry · #Extraction and Separation Processes #Metal Extraction and Bioleaching #Analytical chemistry methods development
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2014.06.008
openalex publication_date 2014/06/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
The relative criticality of mineral commodities is evaluated using a wide range of parameters and in different contexts (e.g., from the standpoint of their importance to national security, or to a specific industrial application), which explains the multiplicity of classification schemes and variations in terminology applied to these commodities in the literature, media and government reports. The core group of critical metals, listed alphabetically, includes: antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, gallium, germanium, indium, lithium, niobium, platinoids, rare-earth elements (REE, including yttrium), tantalum and tungsten. The present retrospect briefly describes the emergence of critical metals as a distinct resource type and the evolution of society's perception of these commodities over the past 100 years.