Selective Separation of Elements of the Periodic Table with Similar Chemical Properties as a Foundation for New Technologies

Russia possesses enormous raw material resources sufficient to meet fully the internal demand for rare-metal, rare-scattered, and rare-earth elements. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, production of many metals from this group has ceased almost completely, while the demand for these metals is satisfied mainly by importing them. There is a vital need to accelerate recovery of their domestic production on the basis of scientific findings and experience accumulated in recent years. Russia must regain the leading role that it used to have in this segment of the world market. In this article, which is based on the materials of my scientific session report at the General Meeting of Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held on November 14, 2019, I discuss research conducted in academic institutes with specialization in chemistry and targeted at tackling this task.