chemistry

Lanthanum cuprate

Lanthanum cuprate is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lanthanum cuprate rather than just read about it. In short: Lanthanum cuprate usually refers to the inorganic compound with the formula CuLa2O4. The name implies that the compound consists of a cuprate ([CuOn]2n-) salt of lanthanum (La3+).

Key takeaways

Lanthanum cuprate belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lanthanum cuprate to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lanthanum cuprate from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lanthanum cuprate usually refers to the inorganic compound with the formula CuLa2O4. The name implies that the compound consists of a cuprate ([CuOn]2n-) salt of lanthanum (La3+). In fact it is a highly covalent solid. It is prepared by high temperature reaction of lanthanum oxide and copper(II) oxide follow by annealing under oxygen. The material adopts a tetragonal structure related to potassium tetrafluoronickelate (K2NiF4), which is orthorhombic. Replacement of some lanthanum by barium gives the quaternary phase CuLa1.85Ba0.15O4, called lanthanum barium copper oxide. That doped material displays superconductivity at −243 °C (30.1 K), which at the time of its discovery was a high temperature. This discovery initiated research on cuprate superconductors and was the basis of a Nobel Prize in Physics to Georg Bednorz and K. Alex Müller.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lanthanum cuprate

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lanthanum cuprate claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lanthanum cuprate before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lanthanum cuprate ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lanthanum cuprate

In research: Lanthanum cuprate appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lanthanum cuprate in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lanthanum cuprate is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Copper compounds, Inorganic compounds, Lanthanum compounds, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lanthanum cuprate outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lanthanum cuprate in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lanthanum cuprate means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lanthanum cuprate out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lanthanum cuprate in simple terms?

Lanthanum cuprate usually refers to the inorganic compound with the formula CuLa2O4. The name implies that the compound consists of a cuprate ([CuOn]2n-) salt of lanthanum (La3+).

Why does Lanthanum cuprate matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lanthanum cuprate?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lanthanum cuprate.