First off I’ll start by saying that I chose lutetium because I had a feeling no one else would. Mainly because I’ve never heard of it and I assume most of you haven’t either, with the exception of the professor.

The symbol for lutetium is Lu, its atomic number is 71, and its atomic weight is 174.967 g. Lutetium is a metallic element and it is found in the rare earth group. Lutetium was discovered in 1907 by Georges Urbain and Baron Carl Auer von Welsbach, when it was originally called lutecium. The name was changed in 1949. It is sometimes known as a transition metal but, it is more commonly known as a lanthanide.

Lutetium is silvery-white in color. It is corrosion-resistant and relatively stable in air. Lutetium is the heaviest and hardest of the rare earth elements. It is also the most expensive of the rare earth elements (it costs about six times as much per gram as gold). Because of its expense, Lutetium has very few commercial uses. However, if a useful amount is obtained, Lutetium can be used as a catalyst in multiple processes.

A few compounds containing lutetium are fluoride, chloride, oxide, and sulfide. Lutetium has a low toxicity rating but it and its compound should be handled cautiously. Metal dust of this element is a fire and explosive hazard. Lutetium doesn’t occur naturally in the human body but, it is thought to help stimulate metabolism.

Sources:

wikipedia.org
scescape.net