The general public may not be familiar with lanthanides, actinides, and transactinides, but these elements comprise approximately 35 percent of the total number of known elements. Attempts to produce new elements—or new isotopes of known elements—constitute an active area of scientific research.

Providing high school and college students with an up-to-date understanding of these elements, Lanthanides and Actinides explains how they were discovered, as well as the practical applications that these elements have in today's scientific, technological, medical, and military communities. Actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, and the transuranium elements are just some of the elements covered in this comprehensive resource. Coverage also includes past, present, and future uses of lanthanides and actinides in science and technology.