Lanthanum hexaboride

<p>Lanthanum hexaboride (<a href="/facts/Lanthanum/Uhmmy1sB">La</a><a href="/facts/Boron/Pmwgd7Mf">B</a>6, also called lanthanum boride and LaB) is an inorganic chemical, a <a href="/facts/Boride/Cf1ephFt">boride</a> of <a href="/facts/Lanthanum/Uhmmy1sB">lanthanum</a>. It is a <a href="/facts/Refractory/LoKrzGkR">refractory</a> <a href="/facts/Ceramic/9JKudpqX">ceramic</a> material that has a melting point of 2210 °C, and is insoluble in water and <a href="/facts/Hydrochloric_acid/HqItJlUT">hydrochloric acid</a>. It is extremely hard, with a Mohs hardness of 9.5. It has a low <a href="/facts/Work_function/VHaHTyXg">work function</a> and one of the highest <a href="/facts/Electron/L0KBo5cW">electron</a> <a href="/facts/Emissivity/LUxfMRRI">emissivities</a> known, and is stable in <a href="/facts/Vacuum/BTk3goyV">vacuum</a>. <a href="/facts/Stoichiometric/I5p9cJzV">Stoichiometric</a> samples are colored intense purple-violet, while boron-rich ones (above LaB6.07) are blue. Ion bombardment changes its color from purple to emerald green. LaB6 is a <a href="/facts/Superconductor/pqQAlSzJ">superconductor</a> with a relatively low transition temperature of 0.45 K.
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Lanthanum hexaboride open-in-new

Lanthanum hexaboride