Terbium is used in alloys and in the production of electronic devices. It is also used as a dopant for materials in solid-state devices and optical fibers. Terbium oxide is in fluorescent lamps and TV tubes. The brilliant fluorescence allows terbium to be used as a probe in biochemistry.

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Dysprosium oxide-nickel cermets are used in neutron-absorbing control rods in nuclear reactors. Dysprosium is used in data storage applications such as compact discs and hard discs. It is also used in dosimeters for measuring ionizing radiation. Dysprosium iodide and dysprosium bromide are used in high intensity metal-halide lamps.

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Holmium is used to create the strongest artificially generated magnetic fields, when placed within high-strength magnets as a magnetic pole piece. It is one of the colorants used for cubic zirconia and glass, providing yellow or red coloring. Holmium isotopes are good neutron absorbers and are used in nuclear reactor control rods.

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Erbium is used in photographic filters to absorb infrared light. Erbium oxide gives a pink color and has been used as a colorant in glasses and porcelain enamel glazes. It is also used in nuclear technology in neutron-absorbing control rods. Erbium is used in alloys especially with vanadium to decrease the hardness of metals.

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Thulium is used to dope yttrium aluminum garnets used in lasers. It has also been used in high-temperature superconductors similarly to yttrium. Thulium has use in ferrites, ceramic magnetic materials that are used in microwave equipment. Thulium is used in euro banknotes for its blue fluorescence under UV light to defeat counterfeiters.

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Ytterbium fiber laser amplifiers are used in marking and engraving. Ytterbium compounds are also used as catalysts in the organic chemical industry. Ytterbium can be used as a dopant to help improve the grain refinement, strength, and other mechanical properties of stainless steel.

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Hafnium oxide-based compounds are being introduced into silicon-based chips to produce smaller, more energy efficient and performance packed processors. Most of the hafnium produced is used in the production of control rods for nuclear reactors. Hafnium is also used in photographic flash bulbs, light bulb filaments, and in electronic equipment as cathodes and capacitors.

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Tantalum is used in the electronics industry for capacitors and high power resistors. The high melting point and oxidation resistance lead to the use of the metal in the production of vacuum furnace parts. Tantalum oxide is used to make special glass with high index of refraction for camera lenses.

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Tungsten and its alloys are widely used for filaments in electric bulbs and electronic tubes. Tungsten carbide is of great importance to the metal-working, mining, and petroleum industries. Tungsten oxides are used in ceramic glazes and calcium/magnesium tungstates are used widely in fluorescent lighting.

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Rhenium is widely used as filaments for mass spectrographs and ion gauges. It is also used with platinum as catalysts in the production of lead-free, high-octane gasoline. Nickel-based superalloys of rhenium are used in the combustion chambers, turbine blades, and exhaust nozzles of jet engines.

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Osmium is used alloyed with other metals in the platinum group to produce very hard alloys. Osmium alloys are used in the tips of fountain pens, instrument pivots, and electrical contacts Osmium tetroxide has been used in fingerprint detection and in staining fatty tissue for optical and electron microscopy.

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Iridium is used in making crucibles and other equipment that is used at high temperatures. Iridium is also used as a hardening agent in platinum alloys. Its resistance to arc erosion makes iridium alloys ideal for electrical contacts for spark plugs. Radioactive isotopes of iridium are used in radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer.

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The most common use of platinum is as a catalyst in chemical reactions. Platinum is used in jewelry, decoration and dental work. Platinum-cobalt, an alloy of roughly three parts platinum and one part cobalt, is used to make relatively strong permanent magnets. Platinum-based anodes are used in ships, pipelines, and steel piers.

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Gold is used in coinage and is a standard for monetary systems in many countries. It is also extensively used for jewelry, decoration, dental work, and for plating. Gold is used widely in microelectronic circuits to ensure reliable, corrosion-resistant and static-free performance. Gold leaf, flake or dust is used in some gourmet foods as decorative ingredient.

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Mercury is used in barometers and manometers because of its high density. Gaseous mercury is used in mercury-vapor lamps and some 'neon sign' type advertising signs and fluorescent lamps. Mercury is also found in liquid mirror telescopes. Gaseous mercury is also found in some electron tubes, including ignitrons, thyratrons, and mercury arc rectifiers.

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Thallium selenide has been used in a bolometer for infrared detection. Thallium is also used in gamma radiation detection equipment. Thallium oxide has been used to produce glasses with a high index of refraction, and is used in the manufacture of photo cells. Some of the electrodes in dissolved oxygen analyzers contain thallium.

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Large quantities of lead, both as the metal and as the dioxide, are used in storage batteries. Lead is used as electrodes in the process of electrolysis. It is added to brass to reduce machine tool wear. Lead, in either pure form or alloyed with tin, or antimony is the traditional material for bullets and shot in firearms use.

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Bismuth is used in producing malleable irons and is used as a catalyst for making acrylic fibers. Bismuth oxychloride is used in cosmetics, as a pigment in paint for eye shadows, hair sprays and nail polishes. It has also been used as a replacement for lead in shot, bullets and less-lethal riot gun ammunition.

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Polonium is used to eliminate static electricity produced during processes such as rolling paper, wire and sheet metal. Polonium can be mixed or alloyed with beryllium to provide a source of neutrons. It is also used in anti-static brushes to eliminate dust on photographic film.

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The newly formed astatine-211 is important in nuclear medicine. Once produced, astatine must be used quickly, as it decays with a half-life of 7.2 hours. Astatine-211 can be used for targeted alpha particle radiotherapy, since it decays either via emission of an alpha particle.

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Due to its instability and rarity, there are no commercial applications for francium. It has been used for research purposes in the fields of biology and of atomic structure. Its use as a potential diagnostic aid for various cancers has also been explored, but this application has been deemed impractical.

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Radium was formerly used in self-luminous paints for watches, nuclear panels, aircraft switches, clocks, and instrument dials. Radium chloride was used in medicine to produce radon gas which in turn was used as a cancer treatment. The isotope 223Ra is currently under investigation for use in medicine as a cancer treatment of bone metastasis.

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Actinium is used as an active element of radioisotope thermoelectric generators, for example in spacecraft. The medium half-life of 227Ac makes it very convenient radioactive isotope in modeling the slow vertical mixing of oceanic waters. 225Ac is applied in medicine to produce 213Bi in a reusable generator or can be used alone as an agent for radiation therapy.

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Thorium is used to coat tungsten filaments in light bulbs. It is also used in its oxide form in gas tungsten arc welding to increase the high-temperature strength of tungsten electrodes and improve arc stability. Thorium-magnesium alloys are used in the aerospace industry for aircraft engines.

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Owing to its scarcity, high radioactivity and high toxicity, there are currently no uses for protactinium outside of scientific research. With the advent of highly sensitive mass spectrometers, an application of 231Pa as a tracer in geology and paleoceanography has become possible. Protactinium-231 combined with the thorium-230 can be used to date marine sediments.

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Uranium is used as fuel for nuclear power plants. Uranium is used as a colorant in uranium glass, producing orange-red to lemon yellow hues. It was also used for tinting and shading in early photography. The major application of uranium in the military sector is in high-density penetrators.

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The isotope plutonium-239 is a key fissile component in nuclear weapons, due to its ease of fission and availability. Plutonium-238 has also been used successfully to power artificial heart pacemakers, to reduce the risk of repeated surgery. Plutonium-238 mixed with beryllium is used to generate neutrons for research purposes.

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Americium is used in commercial ionization chamber smoke detectors, as well as in neutron sources and industrial gauges. Americium-241 has been used as a portable source of both gamma rays and alpha particles for a number of medical and industrial uses. It is also used as a target material in nuclear research to make even heavier elements.

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Curium is mainly used for scientific research purposes. Curium is a common starting material for the production of higher transuranic elements and transactinides. The most practical application of 244Cm is as α-particle source in the alpha particle X-ray spectrometers (APXS).

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Californium is used as a portable neutron source for discovery of metals such as gold or silver by on-the-spot activation analysis. Neutrons from californium are employed as a treatment of certain cervical and brain cancers where other radiation therapy is ineffective. Neutron moisture gauges use californium-252 to find water and petroleum layers in oil wells.

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