When a talk show host wants to drive home the point that there are some very rare metals in your cell phone he might be tempted to give praseodymium as the leading example. After all, it appears nearly unpronounceable and would be familiar only to those who work with rare earth metals!

In actuality this timid metal isn't all that rare. The dirt you walk on has plenty. But, and there's always a but, getting the metal isolated from its earthy prison is not a trivial task. Also, keeping it from turning right back into "earth" is equally difficult. This is why it's offered here inside of a little glass vial which protects it from coming into contact with air or other things that prevent it from, you know, turning into that dirt we speak of!